Federal Budgets - Blog

Don Drummond had a bit of a strange op-ed in the Toronto Star on Sunday. On the one hand, he acknowledged the debate over the option of corporate tax cuts and called for the impact of cuts to be monitored so that we know whether or not they are actually delivering on their goals. On the other, he reviewed and dismissed all of the arguments against corporate tax cuts as negligible. Read more »

The Globe and Mail has an excellent op-ed today by Peter Shawn Taylor and Ben Sand highlighting the conclusions of a Frontier Centre for Public Policy study on tax expenditures. They argue that tackling the deficit requires a good, hard look at tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are a different form of government spending. Rather than writing a cheque, the government chooses not to collect certain tax income. The RRSP tax deduction or the Charitable Donations credit are two examples. Taylor and Sand report that “Ottawa annually gives away more than $100 billion worth of tax expenditures on personal taxes through various deductions and credits.” Read more »

There is something very important about asking the right question at the right time. Questions can spur thought and spark debate. They can open our minds to new possibilities and different perspectives. But more importantly, the right question can prompt action. October 19 is the National Day of Action on Homelessness. Where will you be? Read more »

Last week CPJ submitted our pre-budget recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for Budget 2011. Every year this committee invites Canadians to raise concerns and offer suggestions for the drafting of the next federal budget.

Our recommendations come at a time of economic recovery after the recent recession, when the government is facing challenges concerning how to invest Canadian revenues for the best possible outcome. CPJ recognizes that these decisions are not always easy. But in order to promote the well-being of all Canadians, the budget must be made up of responsible and caring investments.

Read the full submission below Read more »

The Globe and Mail reported today that Canada is facing a jobless recovery, as businesses are not expecting to hire in 2010 and public sector positions are being eliminated.

The article quotes Sébastien Lavoie, assistant chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities, who predicts that we will see employment restored to its pre-recession level in 2011. Read more »

Last week, just before the government’s presentation of Budget 2010, the Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), a project coordinated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), released their Alternative Federal Budget 2010. Employment issues topped their list of priorities. Employment also topped the priority list of Budget 2010. Let’s see how they compare! Read more »

Last week the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a report Is EI working for Canada’s unemployed? Analyzing the Great Recession, by Andrew Jackson and Sylvain Schetagne. The report, part of the Alternative Federal Budget project, evaluates the state of Canada’s Employment Insurance system. In preparation for the release of Budget 2010, the CCPA is calling for an extension of benefits for EI. Read more »

Last year as part of Budget 2009, the government adopted a stimulus package to help boost the economy, which included increases to Working and Child tax benefits. However, the package was far from complete, especially concerning the most vulnerable Canadians - those living in poverty, many of whom have incomes too low to qualify for the tax benefits.  

Poverty was not even mentioned in the budget although these concerns are often most dire in times of economic crisis. Increased job losses coupled with already low incomes and insufficient social assistance has devastated so many across the country. Budget 2009 did not identify these specific problems, nor did it propose a strategy for poverty reduction in Canada. Read more »

On December 9, 2009 the House of Common Standing Committee on Finance tabled its sixth report for 2009 in Parliament, A Prosperous and Sustainable Future for Canada: Needed Federal Actions. Based on approximately six months of committee consultations with a variety of organizations and individuals across Canada, including Citizens for Public Justice, this report aims to inform the government during the drafting of the 2010 budget.

Despite the cautious outlook on government spending voiced by the committee, several of the recommendations in the report call for further spending and adjustments in a variety of areas, including childcare, employment insurance, and affordable housing. Read more »

Today, the government of Ontario announced its intention to invest in affordable housing and increase child benefits to support low-income Ontarians. Read more »