Feds getting ready to spend your money

tiffiant

Feds getting ready to spend your money
Economy generated more than expected
News1130 Staff Mar 22, 2011 06:44:14 AM
0    Related Stories

•Tories found in contempt of Parliament
•Quebec to Tories: Pay up or get ready for an election
•Spending balloons under Harper power
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) - The federal government is preparing to spend a lot of your money.  It's Budget Day and despite a huge debt and deficit, the Tories are expected to let the money flow.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has extra cash to work with as the economy as generated roughly $3 billion more than first expected.  That will allow the Harper government to continue to reduce the deficit from the massive spending initiatives in the stimulus program, while at the same time offer new programs to win Opposition support.

That plan is specifically geared to forgive student loans for doctors and nurses willing to take jobs in rural parts of the country.  There will also likely be a continuation of the popular eco-energy home retrofit program.  And new tax credits for children in arts programs and millions of dollars for research centres in Ontario.

Possible spring election

Maclean's Magazine Ottawa Bureau Chief John Geddes says it's up to the Opposition to create excitement about another trip to the polls.  He explains if the budget or the finding of parliamentary contempt forces an election then Stephen Harper will be banking on a hum-drum campaign.

"His [Stephen Harper] base is very solid and very easy to activate.  The Liberals have proved in the last election they had more difficulty energizing their base.  A lot of traditional Liberal voters stayed home last time around and that caused poor old Stephane Dion a lot of trouble."

Geddes adds we can expect all parties to position themselves as the defenders of the middle class.  He is adamant the key for the Opposition will be to steer the script from economics to ethics, pointing out the budget debate could be the start of pre-election jockeying.

The first real test for the Tories will be Friday when they face a number of non-confidence votes after being found in contempt of Parliament yesterday.

Tune in to News1130 as we'll have full coverage of the budget when it comes down shortly after 1 p.m.

tiffiant