Budget

[samhill]

I've been been very pleased with the direction of our
federal government but the new proposals in this
document regarding changes allowing the
appointment of non Canadians to the Canada Pension
Plan Investment Board have me concerned. I think we
have lots of qualified Canadians, and non Canadians
will have different concerns. What do others think?
page 146/147 IIRC.
The changes to the banking system pp 144/145
allowing similar actions to what happened in Cyprus
don't bother me as much, since the Canadian banks
pretty much do whatever they want anyway.

[agstar77]

Budget is a joke. There is no friggin way they will balance the budget by 2015. GDP in all industrialized countries is dropping and will not return to the 90'sgrowth. Governments will have learn to do more with less, as will all of the rest us. Living standards cannot continue to increase.

[15444]

As long as interest rates are cheap and nations don't call each others debts, nothing will change. And if someone does decide to call another nation's debt, that's when WWIII will start - which is about the only thing that will pull everyone out of this mess. Kill off the useless and excess and put everyone else to work.

[haveapulse]

The unfunded Federal pension liability estimated by the CD HOWE institute at 267 Billion at the end of 2012, will drag on our economy for years, and we are just at the beginning of the baby boomer retirement cycle. To cope with this impending multi decade drag, we have to hope our economy grow.
I expect Jim Flaherty knows the numbers and has projected this reality better than anyone, but this is a cost no job seeking Federal politician will face unless forced by ballooning deficits and then only when absolutely forced, and then likley not. A balanced budget by 2015... we can only dream.

This budget aimed at building industry and jobs in targeted areas of our economy we have to hope yields results.

Realtiy is, we need our dollar down.

And a couple of pipelines would help.

Versus, cut and slash, I am in favour of the Ralph / Walmart roll back approach. Again I note the phrase, dream on.



Hope springs eternal.