Flaherty stands by Canadian budget despite lack of opposition support
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday he will stand by the federal budget proposal submitted by the Conservative Party to Parliament, even if the political opposition does not support the document.
Flaherty is still hopeful that some opposition members will cross party lines and vote for the budget.
The finance secretary’s confidence comes from recent polls that found that even if the opposition manages to force a spring election by rejecting the budget or pushing for a no-confidence motion on Friday due to breach of Parliamentary ethics by the Tories, the Conservatives would still likely win the election.
If the Tories again won, Flaherty said he would present the same budget proposal.
However, the cabinet by then may have slightly changed. Several current Conservative ministers are not planning to seek reelection in a spring vote, including Stockwell Day, Jay Hill, Jim Prentice and Chuck Strahl.
A spring election has been anticipated by political parties in Canada. Even before the Friday no-confidence vote, party leaders have been holding news conferences where they discussed whether their campaign platforms would focus on economic management or ethics and accountability.
Like Flaherty, Prime Minister Stephen Harper ruled out compromises or amendments to the budget to avert a spring election. The budget proposal forecasts a $29.8-billion deficit for the fiscal year, but allocates $2.3-billion for families, seniors and jobless Canadians.
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