Last Tuesday, Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty outlined the 2008 budget in the House of Commons. Included in the proposed financial document was the introduction of a tax-free savings account for individuals over the age of 18, changes to the student grant program in post-secondary education, as well as funding for seniors, Aboriginal Canadians, and immigrants.
In actuality, this year’s budget does not benefit many Canadians, paling in comparison to the huge spending and tax-cuts of this Conservative government’s previous budgets. The savings account allows citizens to save up to $5,000 per year tax-free. However, the average family typically spends more than they make in a year, and so this account only benefits the wealthy. Of course, the Conservatives couldn’t care less. This budget suits both their short and long-term goals perfectly.
You would think the Liberals would take advantage of such a lazy and inefficient budget from Harper’s government. After all, like many Commons votes this year, both the NDP and Bloc Québécois will vote against the government. The Liberals could easily vote against this budget, triggering a spring election. So why don’t they? Liberal leader Stéphane Dion claims that the Conservative budget doesn’t challenge the current government. Dion fails to see that this is exactly why the Conservatives provided such a lacklustre budget to begin with.
What about the recently passed crime bill, which secures a minimum sentence for gun-related crimes, and the debate over the mission in Afghanistan? Both are excellent reasons to challenge the Conservative government. The Liberal party, also known as the official opposition, is failing at its most important task. Maybe they have forgotten the responsibilities that the position entails.
The Liberals should be ashamed of themselves. In refusing to oppose this budget, they have forfeited their reputation as a financially responsible and authoritative government. They have lost the respect of many Canadians for accepting a Conservative budget that fails to significantly increase funding for environmental projects—something the Liberals have claimed as a high priority.
Allegations that the Conservatives attempted to bribe independent British Columbia MP Chuck Cadman in 2005, and that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was aware of it, has prompted demands that the RCMP investigate the matter. The Liberals are once again discussing the possibility of a spring election.
We’ve heard this posturing before. More and more, Dion appears to be all talk and no action. It all depends on whether the Liberal leader sees bribery of a politician (an offence under the Criminal Code) as worthy enough to oppose the current government. The Liberals should consider finding a new leader if they ever hope to sustain the support of Canadians.
