Canada PoliticsNew Democrats launch a budget campaign: ‘Canadians don’t want austerity’
The New Democrats launched a budget campaign on Monday dubbed "Real things for real people."
Unfortunately, it didn't include any 'real' numbers or 'real' details.
Essentially, during a morning press conference and in a new website, the party's finance critics said that Canadians don't want austerity.
Instead of another Conservative budget that wastes billions of dollars on an agenda that serves only a well-connected few, the NDP is putting forward practical proposals for Budget 2013 with the Real Things for Real People campaign.
“Unfortunately, in their last budget, the Conservatives did nothing to tackle the serious economic challenges facing Canadians. Instead they chose corporate giveaways and attacked programs and services Canadians rely on,” said NDP Finance critic Peggy Nash (Parkdale – High Park).
“The NDP’s Real Things for Real People campaign is an opportunity for the Conservatives to change course with our balanced and fiscally responsible solutions.”
Specifically, the NDP plan calls for more funding for transit and infrastructure, a restoration of the OAS retirement age to 65, a tax credit for small businesses that hire young Canadians and more money for health care for veterans.
[ Related: Flaherty to table budget March 21: Here are some revenue-generating ideas ]
How they're going to pay for it all, however, seems a little iffy.
Peculiarly, Nash said that they haven't costed their plan.
"We believe that by investing in infrastructure, by providing quality services, by helping job creators, small businesses hire more people, that we will grow the GDP, get to a better fiscal situation where we eliminate their deficit but we will also create greater prosperity for all Canadians. So I'm not going to pull out one piece and say here's the price tag because I think it's a shift in approach," Nash said according to CBC News.
"As we get closer to an election we usually cost things out specifically and there are checks and balances in terms of what we wouldn't spend in one area, what we would spend in another... but we have not costed out specifics in terms of this campaign."
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will table his budget — supposedly with 'real' dollar figures — in Parliament on Thursday.
[ Related: What should be in the federal budget ]
According to the Globe and Mail, he will "freeze or cut spending on programs, defer capital expenditures and eliminate some corporate-tax exemptions to help close the gap on a $2.1-billion shortfall in revenues for 2013."
(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)
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