balanced budget

6:00AM
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This $51 billion increase in spending represents total growth of 20.1 per cent in just three years.


12:35PM
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Premier John Horgan’s NDP government campaigned on balanced budgets.


7:30AM
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Tucked away in the middle of the country, Manitoba has managed to keep a low profile when it comes to its fiscal situation, but it hasn’t balanced a budget since 2009.


3:03PM
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Ontario plans to add approximately $34 billion in new debt over the next three years.


8:05AM
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After the reforms, Saskatchewan government spending as a share of the economy fell to 15.3 per cent, down from 23.8 per cent.

4:00PM
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In many ways Tuesday’s federal budget wasn’t all that surprising. Many of the government’s key initiatives were already announced (the so-called “Family Tax Cut” package) or telegraphed as part of the Conservatives 2011 platform (raising the TFSA annual contribution ceiling to $10,000).

2:00AM
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Tuesday’s BC budget, which Finance Minister Michael de Jong called boring, balanced, should have set out an ambitious agenda for the next four years.


2:00AM
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On February 18th British Columbians will be watching to see if finance minister Mike de Jong’s budget sets out a plan to deliver on his government’s ambitious goals with respect to economic growth and job creation. And the truth is, the province needs it. The past year was a disappointing one for BC in terms of economic and employment growth compared to other provinces.


2:00AM
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Too often in politics, particularly during election campaigns, citizens conflate political brands with policy. That is, too often we make assumptions about the policies of political parties based on a perception rather than the reality of experience. Many assume, for example, that Conservatives care deeply about and pursue policies based on tradition, balancing budgets, and competitiveness while the NDP focus more on the poor and disadvantaged, strengthening unions, and restricting trade. The reality, however, is that policies are never that tightly woven with specific parties.