Canadians deserve better

Canadians can’t afford a ‘do-nothing’ budget

NDP MP Peggy Nash, the Official Opposition finance critic, says the Harper government needs to address Canada's economic woes in next week’s budget.

Ottawa is a town awash in rumours. Every year, before the snow starts to melt, our nation’s capital abounds with speculation about the coming budget. Every leak carefully calculated; every utterance dissected. But this year has been different.
 

This year, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has been noticeably quiet— downplaying, even squelching, expectations for his own budget. The only leaks have been about how early we can expect the budget and how little we can expect to see in it. Remarkably, Mr. Flaherty has left the heavy lifting — even this year’s pre-budget address — to junior Finance Minister Kevin Sorenson.
 

The reason behind all this is the worst-kept secret in Ottawa. With an election year just around the corner, Conservatives have decided to keep their powder dry, waiting until 2015 to unveil any new ideas that might catch fire with voters.
 

To jaded political veterans, this may seem like savvy politics, but for the millions of Canadian families struggling to make ends meet, it’s a deeply cynical move.
 

Canadians deserve better.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/02/05/canadians_cant_afford_a_donothing_budget.html

Thanks Ed