The federal budget may be missing in action, but the CCPA—along with leading Canadian economists and over a hundred members of civil society—have been hard at work. On March 19th, we released the 2015 Alternative Federal Budget and also marked the project's 20th anniversary.
After 20 years, one thing remains clear: budgets are not just technical financial documents—they are the product of values and contain some of the most important choices that governments make.
This year’s Alternative Federal Budget demonstrates that we can afford to make different choices. If implemented, our plan would ensure that every community has safe drinking water, affordable housing, and effective infrastructure. It would provide affordable childcare for working parents, and access to necessary prescription drugs and dental care for those who can’t afford it. It would lift 893,000 Canadians out of poverty, reduce income inequality, boost economic growth, and create or sustain 300,000 jobs a year, bringing Canada’s employment rate back to its pre-recession level.
It’s a progressive public policy agenda consistent with the values of millions of Canadians, and in the lead-up to the federal election it provides a benchmark for what is possible.
Since its release, we've seen some great press coverage and analysis of this year's AFB. In case you missed it, here's a quick round-up:
In the press
- CCPA argues for tax hikes, and some politicians may be listening, rabble.ca
- Federal budget 2015 debate: balance, or bust?, Canadian Press
- Left-leaning think-tank beats feds to releasing a 2015 budget, Yahoo News
- Armine Yalnizyan on The National, CBC (video)
- Kate McInturff on Power and Politics, CBC (video)
On our blog
- Alternative Federal Budget vs. Income Splitting: Who benefits?, by David Macdonald
- The high cost of eliminating the deficit, by Kate McInturff
- Full remarks from the 2015 AFB press conference
You can read the full Alternative Federal Budget on our website in both English and French, and join the #AFB2015 conversation on Twitter.