Government finance
OTTAWA – The minority Conservative government has let Canadians down with a budget short on the vision and leadership needed to address the most pressing issues of our time, says the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The federal budget does little to address poverty, climate change and provide long-term help for Canada’s struggling communities – despite urgent need.
OTTAWA—Une décennie d'excédents budgétaires
fédéraux pourrait prendre fin si un ralentissement économique se matérialise en
2008, selon un document technique de l"Alternative budgétaire pour le
gouvernement fédéral, publié aujourd’hui par le Centre canadien de politiques
alternatives.
OTTAWA—A decade of federal budget surpluses could come to an end if an economic slowdown materializes in 2008, says a technical paper for the Alternative Federal Budget, published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
OTTAWA—The radical tax cut and debt repayment plan announced in today’s Economic Statement does nothing to address the serious problems facing the country, the Alternative Federal Budget coalition says.
“Tax cuts will not do anything to help skyrocketing drug costs, our crumbling municipal infrastructure, nor provide clean drinking water on First Nations’ reserves. They will not create affordable child care spaces, build affordable housing, lower tuition fees, nor reduce greenhouse gases,” says Bruce Campbell, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
With its eye on the next election, the Harper government is getting its ducks in a row. It is making nice with Nova Scotia and trying to get Afghanistan out of play. But damage limitation is not a very compelling terrain for fighting an election.
They would prefer to use the Throne speech to focus our attention on pre-election goodies. And what political strategist doesn’t like tax cuts tailored for that finicky swing voter? A government that has just posted a fat surplus has got to be tempted to spread the love.