Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivered the 2013-14 budget yesterday.
He says the projected deficit this year is $25.9-billion, but expects it to become an $800-million surplus by 2015-16.
Alberta’s finance minister Doug Horner is pleased with it.
He says it is on the same page as the provincial one, by investing in infrastructure, while cutting day-to-day spending.
He was pleased that the feds also decided against hiking taxes or bringing in new levies.
The budget includes a Canada Job Grant program that will help match employees with employers, add training programs, programs to enhance apprenticeships and to reach minority groups.
It will be negotiated with province’s by next year and would replace a $500-million labour market agreement.
The construction industry will see an extension of the Building Canada program worth $47-million over 10 years.
It will help build on Canada’s infrastructure, such as bridges, highways, airports, weather service and VIA Rail.
It uses cost shares with provinces and municipalities for crucial infrastructure.
Horner says its great for a place like Alberta that’s growing by 100-thousand people a year.
Although in the provincial budget, ge did announce that the province will borrow more than $4-billion this year to pay for roads, hospitals and new schools.
The Canadian International Development Agency will be merged in with Foreign Affairs.
The government will also remove some of the tariffs on imported sports equipment, and on imported baby clothes.
The duty that was attached to chewing tobacco and in roll-your-own cigarettes is now gone, and will double costs from $2.89 per 50g to $5.31.
GST/HST exemptions will include homemaker services to help those caring for people with disabilities or families caring for an aging parent.
Also, couples looking to adopt after 2012 will have some current tax breaks extended to items like mandatory adoption courses.
The opposition isn’t happy with the budget.
NDP leader Tom Mulcair called it a “shell-game con job”, Green Party’s Elizabeth May called it the “fudge-it budget” while interim Liberal leader Bob Rae says it’s just repackaged and renamed.
March 22nd, 2013
