Rafferty gives budget failing grade

Local MP John Rafferty has given the 2013-14 federal budget a failing grade.
“The budget that was tabled today [Thursday] will not help families and businesses who are struggling in Northwestern Ontario,” Rafferty charged.

“It looks like the Harper government is just playing a shell game with this budget document by simply renaming existing programs, or extending them with reduced funding,” he noted.
“It’s quite disappointing.”
While there was much to criticize, Rafferty singled out the Tories’ plan to slash infrastructure funding by $4.7 billion over the next four years as a particularly bad proposal.
“Municipalities have told anyone who would listen for years that they need sustainable long-term funding for infrastructure, but this is especially true for rural and northern communities with smaller populations,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there is even less for municipal infrastructure and small municipalities today than yesterday.”
While mostly critical of the new 433-page budget, Rafferty did say there were a few good ideas to be found.
“We [New Democrats] welcome the long overdue help for Canada’s poorest veterans and their families, and we welcome the extension of the hiring tax credit,” he remarked.
“The tax credit, in particular, was Jack Layton’s first policy announcement in the 2011 federal election, so we obviously see its extension as something positive for the Canadian economy.”
Overall, Rafferty said the 2013-14 federal budget is nothing more than a continuation of a failed Conservative economic plan that is leaving future generations worse off.
“Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has added $150 billion in new debt to our national mortgage,” he noted.
“We [New Democrats] simply don’t believe that our federal government should be leaving such a massive financial, social, and environmental debt to our children and grandchildren.”