OTTAWA – It is looking like Canadians may be headed to a spring election. The federal Liberals are stating that they oppose the federal budget. “Today’s Conservative budget hides billions in wasteful spending and offers next to nothing for Canadian families”, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said today. “Liberals cannot support a budget that is so out-of-touch with the priorities of Canadian families, while the government pours tens of billions into prisons, stealth fighters and corporate tax cuts,” Ignatieff added.
The Liberal leader listed off his party’s complaints over the budget. “And we will not support a government that deceives Canadians, breaks the rules, and attacks our democracy”.
“This budget spends 1,000 times more on fighter jets than post-secondary students, 1,000 times more on prisons than on crime prevention, more for a single day of the G20 than in a year for seniors, three times more on partisan advertising than on family care, and nothing for child care”.
“How can any progressive MP support a government that ignores Canadian families and instead ‘stays the course’ on $6 billion in tax breaks for large corporations, a $30-billion untendered stealth fighter deal and $13 billion for US-style mega prisons?” asked Mr. Ignatieff.
The costs of the government’s core spending priorities – new mega-prisons and untendered stealth fighter jets – were not included in today’s budget, further undermining the credibility of the entire budget the day after a damning report recommended the Harper regime be found in contempt of Parliament for hiding this information”.
“Any judgment on a budget is a judgment on the government delivering it. Canadians expect us to stand against the Harper regime’s repeated attacks on Parliament and our democracy,” said Ignatieff. “Stephen Harper faces a contempt vote for hiding the truth of their spending plans from Canadians, and his inner circle faces two RCMP investigations and charges of breaking election laws. We need to bring honesty and respect back to Ottawa.”