MONTRÉAL, QC – The Canadian Taxpayers Federation reacted to Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon’s declaration that he would not pay for a stadium but is still looking into subsidizing a baseball team.

“On the one hand, Fitzgibbon says he won’t put a dime in a stadium, but on the other, he tells us he’s still looking into how to put money into the project as a whole, including the stadium,” said CTF Quebec Director Renaud Brossard. “If the minister wanted to be unclear, he couldn’t have found a better way. Is Fitzgibbon doesn’t want to subsidize the project, that’s great, but he needs to say it clearly and unambiguously.”

Fitzgibbon told Qub Radio this morning: “The government won’t build a stadium, we don’t need a third stadium.”

He also said a few minutes later he would pour money into the “global operation” which, still according to the minister, could include a stadium if the economic benefits justify it.

According to the IGM Economic Experts panel of the Chicago Booth School of Business, 83 per cent of economists agree that subsidies to build sports stadiums for professional teams cost more than they’re worth. Still according to this panel, only four per cent of economists believe it’s a good use of taxpayers’ money.

“The economic literature is clear: taxpayers are the biggest losers when governments give money to big sports teams,” said Brossard. “Instead of saying one thing and its opposite, Fitzgibbon needs to say no to using taxpayers’ money to pay for baseball’s come back.”