Since its election in 2006, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has insisted on its efficient and productive handling of the Canadian economy and government expenses.
Despite years of budget deficits, on Tuesday (April 21), Finance Minister Joe Oliver announced a slight budget surplus. However, the surplus comes as a result of the government’s decision to use $2 billion of a $3-billion contingency fund, and according to the opposition delaying the implementation of many costs only in future years.
Despite the government’s position that the budget will help middle and low-income families, the opposition parties say Canada’s wealthiest will benefit from the budget, as well as corporations, and not average Canadians.
Questioned on Canada’s public broadcaster CBC TV about how future generations would be deal with the decisions of this budget, the Finance Minister said: “I heard that by 2080 we may have a problem. Well, why don’t we leave that to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s granddaughter to solve that problem.”
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda has a report.
ListenMore information:
Department of Finance Canada – Budget 2015 highlights – here
Department of Finance Canada – Budget 2015 – here
CBC News – Federal Budget 2015 Overview – here
CBC News – TFSA changes a problem for ‘Stephen Harper’s granddaughter to solve,’ Joe Oliver says – here
National Post – Problem with the budget? Finance Minister Joe Oliver says Stephen Harper’s granddaughter will fix it – here
Vice – Harper’s New Budget Is Making it Rain on Canada’s Military and Spies – here
Maclean’s Magazine – What the budget means for low- and middle-income families – here
Ottawa Citizen – Federal budget: Conservatives dip into contingency fund (with video) – here
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