Questions surfacing on fine points in budget
Posted Jun 6, 2011 4:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Reaction is pouring in for the federal budget and several groups say there are still plenty of questions in the spending blueprint that need answers.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says this budget is a modest improvement over the one put on the table back in March.
The watchdog says the government’s goal to get rid of the deficit by 2014 is reachable, but not unless some serious slashes to spending are introduced, including cutting transfers to provinces and corporate welfare.
University of Windsor Political Scientist Cheryl Collier tells 660News the opposition has plenty of fodder, not from what’s in the budget, but from what’s missing.
“A longer term fiscal plan; we don’t get that,” she says. “If I was the opposition, there are a lot of question marks. How are you going to balance the budget? What exactly is going to be cut?”
Minister of State for Finance and Alberta MP Ted Menzies tells 660News those questions will be answered during a comprehensive review.
“Making sure that each one of these ministers comes forward with realistic ways to reduce the costs in their department,” he says. “We’re providing them with a couple of different options, bring us a five per cent, bring us a ten per cent, and we will do what’s fair and reasonable.”
Menzies says there’s enough money within federal departments to come up with the necessary savings and the Tories won’t be stopping social transfers to the provinces.
