The government is being accused of using Canada's upcoming 150th birthday celebrations as a ploy to buy votes in the fall election.
Last Friday, the Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the new Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, in honour of the country's sesquicentennial, which earmarks $150 million for 1,800 community projects across the nation.
However, critics say that the government's deadline for proposals is extremely rushed and inconsistent.
Communities in Ontario have until June 9 to file all the paperwork, while other regions only have until the end of June, for festivities two years away.
The scenic town of Niagara-one-the-Lake, Ont., would seem to be an ideal location to celebrate the country's milestone birthday. But it may not be able to gets its hands on any of the Canada 150 funding because the deadline to apply is simply too tight.
"We've got a small town, small resources (and) for us to put something together in that short timeframe is going to be difficult, if not impossible," the town's mayor, Pat Darte, told CTV News.
The mayor of Lunenburg, N.S., which is home to the famous fishing and racing schooner the Bluenose, would love to make improvements to local infrastructure, but will also likely be unable to submit a proposal.
"It's very doubtful that we will even have the resources to put an application together," said Rachel Bailey.
The Opposition NDP have been even more emphatic in their criticism, calling the program simply an attempt to boost the Conservative party's standing in the run-up to the October 19 election.
"It doesn't get cash out the door, what it does is it gets Conservative MPs out the door with those big cardboard cheques," said NDP MP Matthew Kellway.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said the move was made to create a "slush fund" for Tory MPs.
"It is almost if our sesquicentennial counts for nothing," Mulcair told CTV's Power Play.
"Stephen Harper is waiting until the last minute to roll out a slush fund to help his MPs, (but) Canadians are capable of seeing right through that one," he added.
Mulcair added that program is a far cry from the infrastructure funding that was attached to Canada's centennial celebrations.
"I'm old enough to have taken the brand new Metro in Montreal to go to Expo 67, and I remember what a thrill that was, but it was just an example of the centennial project that was put together across this great country of ours," said Mulcair.
Despite the criticism, the government insists the quick turnaround is needed because the milestone is quickly approaching.
Lunenburg, N.S. is just one municipality that may miss out on federal funding for Canada's 150th birthday because of the tight deadlines set by the government.
"We want these projects not only to be started, but completed so Canadians can enjoy them," said Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre.
The government promises to inform successful applicants within 90 days of the proposal deadlines and construction could start as early as September.
With a report from CTV News' Richard Madan
