The new Harper Conservative budget comes up short on jobs and innovation and offers Canadians little more than freezes, cuts, and gimmicks, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said today.
“This budget offers what we’ve come to expect from Stephen Harper’s tired government: a lack of ambition and a clear distaste for what a government must do to help its citizens prepare for an uncertain future,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “This budget leaves too many Canadians to fend for themselves, and can’t hide the laissez-faire approach of a government that doesn’t believe in government.”
“This is not a budget that looks ahead to the challenges of our times – and it’s not a budget we can support,” Mr. Ignatieff continued. “We will vote against it, but we’re not going to cause an election. Since Canadians don’t want an election and it’s not in the national interest, we’ll register our opposition responsibly.”
On jobs and innovation, the budget comes up short and even plans for more job losses:
• The government’s job creation targets don’t make up for the 300,000 jobs already lost, or for the rise in unemployment forecasted in today’s budget.
• The Conservatives say they want to support small business growth, but they’re bringing in a $13 billion payroll tax hike that will kill 220,000 small business jobs.
Instead of taking real action on Canadians’ priorities, this budget offers gimmicks:
• $10 million to encourage volunteerism for seniors, but nothing concrete to fix pensions.
• A token $1 million for community war memorials, instead of helping veterans recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• Making superficial tax changes to the universal child benefit, that low-income families and single parents won`t benefit from.
• A mere $25 million on clean energy, from a government that let 93% of its Green Infrastructure Fund go unspent last year.
Instead of investments in research, innovation or clean energy, this budget offers cuts:
• The Conservatives cut $148 million from Canada’s research councils in the last budget, but want to take credit for reinvesting $32 million this year.
• The cancellation of the EcoEnergy program for renewable power production.
• The Conservatives refused to let the Canada Space Agency spend $160 million in approved spending over the past two years, but want to take credit for adding $23 million in this budget.
Instead of curtailing excessive partisanship, this budget offers freezes:
• Cancelling $4.5 billion in planned Overseas Development Assistance when Canada is focused on development in Afghanistan and Haiti and pays lip service to maternal health in developing countries.
• Starting in 2011, freezing all government operating budgets across the board without any indication for how this will affect the programs and services Canadians rely on, while continuing to waste taxpayer dollars on government partisan advertising and consultants.
Instead of addressing Canadians’ most pressing issues, this budget offers no action:
• Nothing on pensions.
• Nothing on climate change or to create clean energy jobs.
• Nothing on health care and our aging demographics.
• Nothing on culture.
• Nothing on helping veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Nothing on the future of our digital economy.
• Nothing for New Canadians or to close the immigrant success gap.
“While this budget is a clear disappointment, our party is focused on building the better alternative for Canadians,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “We’ve made clear proposals on jobs and pensions, because we’re the party that stands with middle income Canadians, seniors, and families struggling to get by.”
“Our party will continue to develop the ideas, policies and concrete actions that should be brought forward by a responsible, caring and future-oriented government.”
