Finance Minister Joe Oliver brought Canadians his first budget yesterday. Instead of it being a budget for the coming fiscal year of our government, he tried to line things up for the next ten years. It was a very Conservative view of our future. And we can only hope that it is Joe Oliver’s final budget and the final Conservative budget.
It was more of a manifesto than a budget. Yet, it lacked a clear direction. It lacked compassion. It was in many cases blatant bribery. The continuing reductions in business taxes makes you wonder when it will cost more to collect them than the Treasury gains.
And if you have an extra $10,000 to put into a tax free savings account, do you need the tax break?
You certainly have to admit that the Conservatives are very kind to rich families. That leaves the rest of us on the outside looking in.
This seems to be a uniquely Conservative style of budget. It’s like the cheque is in the mail—two years from now. It is delayed gratification—only for those who vote properly.
And that is all this budget is designed for. Vote Conservative, vote often.
Only a government that knows it is going down the tubes would be so blatant about it.
What was really wrong with the document Oliver read was that there was nothing to succour our young people looking for work and careers. There were no instant jobs. There were no jobs in the future either. There was nothing to address the needs of Canada’s aboriginal peoples.
If you were looking for creativity, imagination, nation building simple kindness or fairness, you were tuned to the wrong channel. Joe Oliver does not do that stuff.
Frankly, Joe Oliver was a bad choice for finance minister. Harper could have done much better with someone in the role who does not look like the mad scientist in that children’s movie starring Michael J. Fox. The better choice would have been someone in a more Santa Clause style such as Conservative Senator Mike Duffy.
-30-
Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to [email protected]