[ryan29]

Few handouts expected in surplus budget

By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU

The Ottawa Sun




Environmentalist David Suzuki answers questions yesterday at a news conference on Parliament Hill concerning a proposed carbon tax he wants included in today's federal budget. (Tom Hanson/The Canadian Press)

Canadians will find a few golden nuggets in today's frugal, no-frills federal budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty hinted yesterday.

Working to dampen expectations of any major new spending initiatives or tax breaks, Flaherty said economic uncertainty in the U.S. and around the world calls for prudence here at home. But he promised "one or two surprises" in the annual fiscal plan.

Instead of buying a new pair of shoes in the tradition of Canadian finance ministers, Flaherty symbolically had an old pair repaired with new laces and soles at the Healthy Feet shoe repair shop.

"It suits the budget," he said. "We're doing spending, but in a controlled way given the economic circumstances this year and next year."

Reports last night suggested Canada's financial picture is rosier than Flaherty was letting on, and the feds will disclose an extra $1 billion in projected surplus when the books close March 31. The lion's share will go to slaying the debt, with infrastructure and environmental cleanup projects designed to create new jobs also expected in the budget.

Flaherty said the government has been scouring the bureaucracy to unearth savings in agencies, programs and initiatives, but wouldn't confirm speculation a tax break for capital gains is on the way.


The NDP and Bloc Quebecois have already said they will likely reject the budget and try to topple the Conservatives. But Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said his party will read the fine print before deciding if it's worthy of support or whether it should trigger an election.

"We'll see the budget and we'll react when we will have seen it," he said.

NDP Leader Jack Layton will also review the document before casting final judgment, but he said Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ignored his pleas to help struggling average Canadians.

"If it locks in the rather extravagant giveaways that he's given to oil and gas companies and banks and others who have been doing very, very well, without addressing the needs of working and middle-class families, then it's not the kind of budget we could support," he said.

John Williamson, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, is taking Flaherty at his word and expecting a "status-quo" budget with no grand initiatives.

"I'm okay with that, as long as it applies to both sides of the ledger," he said. "If they're going to freeze tax breaks, they've got to freeze spending too."

Lobby and special interest groups from the health, industry, manufacturing, transport and municipal sectors will converge on Parliament Hill to react to the budget after it is publicly tabled at 4 p.m.

High-profile environmentalist David Suzuki arrived in Ottawa early, urging the government yesterday to follow B.C.'s lead by imposing a carbon tax. He said the tax scheme would punish big polluters and create room for income tax cuts worth billions.

"Right now, the atmosphere is treated like a free dumping ground," he said.

Flaherty also lashed back at complaints from Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, accusing him of stifling business growth through over-taxation.

"The problem with Ontario is that it has the highest taxes on new business investment," Flaherty said. "The premier seems unable to understand that having the highest taxes on new business investment in Canada is a disincentive to businesses growing or locating in the province."

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008 ... 0-sun.html

[ryan29]

more on the budget coming later when it is released this afternoon .

[ridenrain]

Mixing something as serious as the budget with something as foolish as Suzuki is comical. I'd rely on a magic-8 ball before I trusted that wack-jobs opinion on anything.

[ryan29]

ridenrain ridenrain:

Mixing something as serious as the budget with something as foolish as Suzuki is comical. I'd rely on a magic-8 ball before I trusted that wack-jobs opinion on anything.

not a very good article i admit ,seems alot coming from the canadian press seem to have a more liberal tone to them or anti-conservative tone. its geting hard to find good articles these days .

[ryan29]

No budget amendments, say Tories

No problem, says Dion

By Bruce Cheadle, THE CANADIAN PRESS





Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, wearing new eyeglasses, is applauded by Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday Feb 25, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tom Hanson

OTTAWA - Weeks of furious political manoeuvring and rhetorical sabre-rattling come to a head Tuesday when the Conservative government delivers its 2008-09 budget and sets off a month-long steeple chase of confidence hurdles.

But a quick review of Politics for Dummies suggests that - barring a mistaken stumble - party self-interest will ensure Canadians aren't tripped into a spring election.

Public opinion has been remarkably static for many months, and another Harris/Decima opinion poll coming Tuesday is expected to maintain the trend line to nowhere.

The Conservatives routinely hold a small lead on the Liberals in minority-strength no-man's land. The NDP is mired in the mid-teens nationally. And flaccid support for the Bloc Quebecois is offset by a federalist split in Quebec among Tory and Liberal ranks.

On the face of it, Tuesday's federal budget appears unlikely to break the logjam.

Standard wisdom holds that Stephen Harper's Tories shot their bolt last fall with a mini-budget that delivered $60-billion in tax cuts over five years. With the North American economy faltering since then, the Fall Economic Update left little fiscal room for a fresh vote-buying spree this week - but it did include a finely calibrated time capsule.


Some $3.5 billion of retroactive income tax reductions for 2007-08 are about be realized by tax filers this spring.

Without committing a dime, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty need only lay out the promise of future income tax cuts Tuesday. His wishful prognostications will be given weight by all those fat refund cheques arriving in the mail in April.

The cash-flush Conservative party and the battle-hardened Harper are convinced they can out-campaign the Liberals and untested Stephane Dion, who will be in his first national election as party leader. Some influential Liberals quietly share that opinion.

Yet another signal of Tory bullishness was delivered Monday in the Commons in question period, when a friendly Conservative questioner asked if the government would be amenable to opposition budget amendments.

"Unlike the Liberals in previous years who amended their budget after it had been tabled, we will not accept any amendments that the Liberals would like to propose that will drive us into a deficit," responded a gleeful Ted Menzies, Flaherty's parliamentary secretary.

Dion couldn't even muster any phoney outrage at this latest Tory provocation.

"I never thought that we would be able to amend his budget anyway," he responded outside the House.

"So we'll see the budget and we'll react when we will have seen it."

It seems to be part of a Liberal pattern of sidestepping Tory-laid election triggers.

On Monday, a Senate committee heard from its last witness on the government's omnibus crime legislation. It's expected Bill C-2 will be sent to the full Senate chamber by the end of the day Tuesday after clause-by-clause examination. That sets the stage for the legislation to clear the Liberal-dominated upper House by the end of this week and meet the Harper government's entirely arbitrary deadline.

Also Monday, debate began in the Commons on a votable confidence motion to extend the military mission in Afghanistan to 2011. Given the compromises already reached by both Conservatives and Liberals, the vote set for late March appears all but assured of passing.

In a French-language interview at the end of last year that was largely overlooked in the English media, Dion said he found inspiration in the example of Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, the Russian general who allowed Napoleon's armies to overrun Moscow before he finally rounded on their starving ranks and defeated Napoleon in 1812.

Dion, in retreat, appears to be hoping the looming economic downturn in the United States eventually will do to the Conservatives what the Russian winter did to Napoleon's forces.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008 ... 43-cp.html

[ridenrain]

You noticed that too? Dion, Dion, Dion.. The all Liberal Network.

Although the fixed election dates were a huge step away from Chretien style snap elections, it does throw the ball into the oppostions hands. It's just a good thing it was caught by Dion.. because he throws like a girl.

[sandorski]

Wait a second. Was there an actual Budget Speech or did I just miss it somehow? It's as if all that happened was the release of the printed document.

Stop whining about the Liberal attention. Hell, half your focus has been on them for months now as you desire them to bring about an Election. The Media also is aware of that situation, forgive them for keeping on top of things.

...ooh wait, speech is now....

edit: oops, just a partial replay, guess I missed it.

[Johnny_Utah]

It would be nice seeing Natives receiving nothing not a single cent as they've had more then enough money given to them and it's time they support themselves like everyone else..

The Native Band where I live by built one kick ass Casino Resort(The Cree River Casino) it's a thing of beauty which employees Band Members as well as non Natives..

It's an example of Natives taking control of their own future rather then relying on the hand of the Government because relying on that money every year holds them back..

[kenmore]

maybe harper blew dion like sarkosy to get the troups to afganistan.. if dion keeps sucking up to harper.. I will be supporting jack...

[Clogeroo]

It is a decent budget and I like far more than last year's appeasement to everyone allocation. Debt repayment and tax cuts are what I like to see but too bad they didn't cut much spending. I guess some people would have a fit if they did that though. One new programme I really like in the budget is the Tax Free Savings Account. I think this will generally appeal to everyone. Unless you don't save any money, but who cares about you, you are fuc....

I'm not sure why anyone would vote down this budget considering it will be delivering more money for every Canadians pockets and is not going into the red.

[Clogeroo]

$1:

maybe harper blew dion like sarkosy to get the troups to afganistan.. if dion keeps sucking up to harper.. I will be supporting jack...

I guess the third time really is not the charm. Three budgets and three threats that the grits would take the government down over them. Wow surprise, surprise there won't be an election over this one. I never saw that one coming. Maybe your benevolent grits you keep preaching in romanced favour of will actually grow some balls and stand up for your so called “priorities” next time. Although pretty soon the government will have to see the GG themselves to call an election since their term will be up.

I'm not a huge fan of the government or some of their reckless spending but out of all the parties in the house right now I'm glad they are at the helm. I can only imagine how wasteful the other parties budgets would be.

[ridenrain]

I don't like:

$1:

250 million dollars has been set aside to help launch carbon capture and storage projects; 66 million dollars to kickstart a greenhouse gas emissions-trading system in Canada;

That's bullshit and a waste of money that will but nothing.

I do like :

$1:

Over seven years since 2006, infrastructure spending would top 33 billion dollars, amounting to the "largest single federal investment in public infrastructure since World War II," said Flaherty.
..
Some 400 million will be used to hire 2,500 new police officers nationally.
..
$110 million to establish homeless demonstration projects in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton.

I'm not sure on the savings account yet.

Full budget text hre:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... /20080226/

[Wally_Sconce]

kenmore kenmore:

maybe harper blew dion like sarkosy to get the troups to afganistan.. if dion keeps sucking up to harper.. I will be supporting jack...

You don't know jack.

[Red_Eye]

I don't know if the subject is of the budget or David Suzuki.
My take on the budget without know the details but in general comes off as a serious one. No political twist and suspender snapping of giving out gifts for party image.

That was the initial impression.

[kenmore]

It is really a smart political move by the tories... its a do little parsimonial budget that in these tougher times.. ( the US economy) is appropriate.. the tories were hoping the liberals would defeat them and go for an election.. dion was wise to vote for it.. but then it is a good budget for this economic time.. we have not yet felt the full brunt of the US economy but we will soon enough