TIMMINS- The Conservative budget was a chance to help kick start a sluggish economy by promoting job creation and job training. Instead, the 2014 budget was more focused on ensuring a padded war chest for Conservative election chances in 2015. Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus says it is unfortunate that the Conservative government is more interested in their own political future than the financial future of Canadians.
“We have 300,000 more people unemployed today than before the recession. We have families struggling with record debt. This should have been a budget to help retool the Canadian economy to make life more affordable for Canadians. Instead, this budget was about treading water to build a bigger surplus for the 2015 election.”
Angus says he was struck by the complete lack of vision for the north
“This do nothing budget provides no significant investment in good middle class jobs, no mention of FEDNOR, no mention of NORCAT, no mention of the Ring of Fire, no infrastructure funding in Northern Ontario, no response to the Government of Ontario’s request to restore over 640 million in equalization transfers, and no job plan for the North.”
New Democrats are glad the Conservatives are promising to act on some of the NDP’s proposals to help struggling families like banning pay to pay billing and reducing prices for consumers. Some ideas in the budget, such as extending rural broadband internet coverage are good measures as well but, Conservatives have made these promises before and Canadians are still waiting for them to follow through.
“The Harper Conservatives are failing to show leadership on providing a plan for good middle class jobs as they failed to even mention the Ring of Fire development, while there are still more than half a million people in Ontario who are unemployed.“
