Monday, February 2, 2009
Volume 35, Issue 18
www.mediumonline.ca
Liberals save Harper government ANDREW HAMILTON SMITH NEWS EDITOR In a contortion of fact that would make Stephen Harper proud, newly installed Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff insisted that despite supporting the budget released on Tuesday January 27, he was placing the minority Conservative government “on probation,” apparently forgetting for a moment that minority governments are – by definition – on probation. As a result, the possibility of a Liberal-NDP Coalition government, which was on the verge of toppling the Harper government less than two months ago, disintegrated into fancy words and good intentions. The price for Ignatieff’s budget support was a minor amendment that requires the Conservative government to provide three economic updates, on March 26, June 23 and
Photos/Google Images & Radey Barrack
The economically questionable January 27 budget of the Conservative government of Canada is being pushed through Parliament chiefly thanks to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Prime Minister Stepher Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. The move also spells the end of the Liberal NDP Coalition government in waiting. September 10, which the Tories were only too happy to agree to. Allowing the Conservatives to remain in power deeply infuriated New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton, who declared that there is a new coalition on Parliament Hill – between Mr. Harper and Mr. Ignatieff. Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe bluntly announced that the Coalition is dead, and blasted Ignatieff for continuing in the practice of former Liberal leader Stephane Dion, who led his party in
voting with the Conservatives. Concerns about the Tory budget have been voiced by economists, social workers, municipal leaders, and even Ignatieff himself, with the most prominent criticism stemming from the requirement that provinces and municipalities put up half the funding for any infrastructure project. As Toronto Mayor David Miller noted, most cities in Ontario are broke, and thus cannot afford to pay anything at all. As a result, although a massive $12 billion was
ear-marked for such projects in the budget, it is possible that only a fraction of that money will actually be spent. Infrastructure spending accounts for one-third of the entire stimulus package and could create up to 190,000 new jobs if the money actually flows. The concern that the money will not be forthcoming is well-founded, and is ostensibly the reason why Ignatieff demanded the three budget status reports from the government. For three years the Conservatives
have been promising spending on various projects, a move organized under the omnibus $33 billion Build Canada Fund, which has done next to nothing since its creation in 2007. There are numerous other concerns with the budget. For example, less than one per cent of spending and tax cuts contained in the budget address environmental projects. Critics argue that the home-retrofit tax rebate could have been targeted towards eco-friendly or energy-efficiency measures. Instead, even a millionaire building a new sunroom could qualify for taxpayer dollars. Another concern is the cost and ineffectiveness of the tax cuts in the budget, which will result in billions of dollars of lost government revenues. In the weeks before the January 27 budget was released, Ignatieff joined with Layton, Duceppe, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May, along with countless economists and experts around the country, in warning Harper not to pursue tax cuts as a means of stimulating the economy.
See Ignatieff page 2
City clears way for Child Care Centre
Photo/Matthew Filipowich
The City of Mississauga issued a building permit for the planned Child Care Centre on Friday January 23. The UTM administration had blamed the city council for the delays in construction. No new time line has been set for opening the centre.
Photos/NYDAILYNEWS.com
Steelers win record sixth Super Bowl title. See page 12 for story.