Harper government: 1 broken promise, 4 more on the horizon

During the run-up to the May election, the Conservatives made several campaign promises with the following caveat: "We will do 'x' once the the budget is balanced."

Now, with the Harper government pushing back its timeline to balance the books, many of the promises that helped them get elected appear to be in jeopardy.

In her blog on Wednesday, Global News journalist Amy Minsky notes that depending when the government decides to hold the next election, the Conservatives might miss the boat on all of those promises.

"If the Conservatives follow the fixed election law, which they passed in 2007, the next election would be on the third Monday in October, in the fourth calendar year after the last general election," Minsky wrote.

"That date, Oct. 19, 2015, falls half-way through the fiscal year during which the Tories are now saying the budget will be balanced — which leaves limited time to implement policy."

Conservative party promises that hinge on a balanced budget:

- Family tax cut: The Tories would allow spouses with dependents under the age of 18 to split their income and therefore decrease the tax burden on the higher earner.

- Fitness tax credits: The children's fitness tax credit would be bumped to $1,000 from $500 and a new $500 fitness tax credit for adults would be introduced

- Tax free savings account: The Conservative party promised to double the tax-free savings account deposit limit from $5,000 to $10,000 annually.

- F-35 fighter jets: The Tories said they won't begin making significant investments in the F-35 fighter jets "until the budget is balanced"