Ontario Budget - Balancing the Books

[flar]

You would piss off a lot of people by canceling full day kindergarten. For those without children, understand that it equals thousands of dollars a year in savings for many families, who would then spend that money on other things. The number of daycare spaces the government has to subsidize would be reduced. It could free up some mothers to join the labour force. And it creates a bunch of decent jobs for ECEs. It may also lead to better educated children (there is a lot of learning potential at that age, we don't take advantage of it, too many kids sit in front of a TV babysitter).

[SteelTown]

Ont Liberals agree to NDP tax-the-rich budget demand

http://www.thespec.com/news/article/...-budget-demand

Premier Dalton McGuinty has agreed to a key NDP budget demand for a surtax on incomes over $500,000.

The move comes after a meeting with NDP Leader Andrea Horwath to try to make a deal to avoid a defeat of the budget tomorrow, which would have forced an election.

McGuinty says the money raised by the surtax will go to paying down the deficit, and the tax will end once the budget is balanced in 2017.

The Progressive Conservatives have vowed to vote against the budget, so the Liberals need NDP support or the minority government will be defeated.

[haljackey]

Makes sense to me. An overwhelming majority support taxing the rich, and many rich people don't mind paying them.

I don't know why they will end it when (and if) the budget is balanced though. They should keep it until we pay off our debt or even permanently keep it.

[vid]

Why exactly do the PCs oppose the budget, again?

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by vid

Why exactly do the PCs oppose the budget, again?

Not enough cuts, even though their platform called for keeping those same priorities they now want cut!

[cbyrne2014]

PCs were an epic failure with this budget.

Instead of negotiating to benefit its base as best it could, an influential part of its base is now going to have to pay higher taxes and still there will be no election.

[vid]

Originally Posted by cbyrne2014

PCs were an epic failure with this budget.

Instead of negotiating to benefit its base as best it could, an influential part of its base is now going to have to pay higher taxes and still there will be no election.

What is it with the PCs and repeatedly failing?

I mean, they run left wing candidates in this part of the province. Whose idea was that? How does a right wing party win votes by running people who are not right wing? The PC candidate in my riding in 2007 is equal if not to the left of the Liberal incumbent, at least according to the things she claims to believe in. The one that ran in the last election was a university professor with a very generous government wage, campaigning on reducing the same high wages he was receiving, conveniently a couple decades after he started receiving them. It's like his mentality was "well, now that the government isn't paying me half a million dollars a year to run a very left wing University, I should campaign so that no one else will ever be paid that much for that job ever again!"

I won't even go into what a mess John Tory was as a leader. The only thing he'll ever win is a competition to see who can lose the most frequently in a short period of time.

[eternallyme]

Time for a separate province for Northern Ontario? Many up there are condemning the NDP for selling out to the Liberals...even if the budget deal is popular in the south...

[haljackey]

I like minority governments. It keeps the ruling party more honest. If they don't compromise with the other parties, it may fall.

From the Liberals standpoint, this deal with the NDP was a no-brainier. More money in the coffers from a tiny portion of the population.

And yes the PCs are a epic fail in this budget.

Still, if the government were to fall, would we see the end of Liberal rule? That party has been doing terrible... just look at the Alberta election yesterday. Most liberal supporters are switching to the NDP or PCs.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I like minority governments. It keeps the ruling party more honest. If they don't compromise with the other parties, it may fall.

From the Liberals standpoint, this deal with the NDP was a no-brainier. More money in the coffers from a tiny portion of the population.

And yes the PCs are a epic fail in this budget.

Still, if the government were to fall, would we see the end of Liberal rule? That party has been doing terrible... just look at the Alberta election yesterday. Most liberal supporters are switching to the NDP or PCs.

Probably not. The Alberta PC's were basically the Liberals, and the Wildrose party was basically the Conservatives. The Liberals were totally squeezed, I was surprised they held on to any seats and the NDP didn't do a bit better.

The NDP will gain for sure among centre-left voters, but will lose some support from their union and activist base.

As for the PC's, this will seriously hurt them in urban Ontario, although it should help them in rural and northern Ontario, where the McGuinty gang are despised. It creates a paradox:

* The rural swath from southwestern into mid-northern and over to eastern Ontario is where property rights are big, the environmental movement is hated and they want even more austerity. That is the same type of area that went Wildrose in Alberta.

* Northern Ontario is now no-man's land, with the Liberals and NDP flip-flopping on Ontario Northland and not seen as showing their interest. Chance for a regional party to grow? I doubt they want the austerity that the rural south wants though.

* Urban Ontario (Urban/inner-suburban GTA and the mid-sized cities) - about 55% of the population - wants more services and more inclusiveness for the most part, although not too much in terms of higher taxes. The PC's have a lot to gain here by going more moderate, but at the risk of losing the rural seats.

The PC's can only lose some to gain some either way...

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

* The rural swath from southwestern into mid-northern and over to eastern Ontario is where property rights are big, the environmental movement is hated and they want even more austerity. That is the same type of area that went Wildrose in Alberta.

Funny the segment of the population that relies on government handouts the most, wants more austerity.

How about we cut all the funding farmers and rural residents get from the government and see if their tune changes.

[SteelTown]

Ontario Liberal budget passes

http://www.thespec.com/news/article/...-budget-passes

Ontario’s minority Liberal government has easily survived a confidence vote on its budget, after striking a deal with the NDP to impose a surtax on the wealthy.

The New Democrats abstained, but that allowed the Liberals to out vote the Progressive Conservatives 52 to 37 and pass the budget motion, avoiding a second election in less than a year.

There was little doubt the budget motion would pass after Premier Dalton McGuinty agreed to the NDP’s demand to impose a two percentage point surtax on incomes over $500,000.

The Liberals calculate the surtax on what the NDP call the “ultra wealthy” will bring in $470 million a year, all of which McGuinty said would go towards the $15.2 billion deficit.

McGuinty also said “the NDP surtax” would be scrapped when the budget is balanced in 2017-18.

The Tories had vowed to reject the budget as soon as it was introduced, complaining it did not reduce government spending or do anything to help create jobs.

[vid]

Northern Ontario definitely doesn't want austerity. What little cuts we've had to endure have been met by outrage.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by vid

Northern Ontario definitely doesn't want austerity. What little cuts we've had to endure have been met by outrage.

That is correct, but the cuts seem to be hitting them extra hard, probably for political reason.

This could be setting up for a perfect storm up there and the best chance ever for a regional party, even a separatist one, to form and win votes.

[vid]

A regional party wouldn't have much influence though. We need regional governance.