Article Summary
Alternative Federal Budget 2003: The Cure for the Common Budget
Alternative Budget by CCPAAnnually, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) publishes an Alternative Federal Budget. Its purpose: to bring together community groups to discuss and debate government spending priorities, and to provide an alternative view of the federal government’s fiscal framework. The CCPA notes that the 2003 federal budget is the first tabled by Finance Minister John Manley, and the last under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
The CCPA argues that the Liberal government’s priorities from 1993 to 2003 , mainly under Finance Minister Paul Martin, have been narrowly financial (eliminating the deficit and reducing the debt) and electoral (cutting taxes to undermine the conservative opposition) – all at the expense of real and growing social needs. According to the CCPA, John Manley has inherited a huge social debt that must be repaid, with demands for repayment growing louder and louder.
Many of the ideas contained in this Alternative Federal Budget involve reinvesting in social programs. The CCPA begins by reviewing the highlights of the federal budget as presented by John Manley; it then presents its own expenditure goals. In particular, the Alternative Federal Budget sets out detailed plans for health care, employment insurance, children and families, the environment, housing, tax fairness, and post-secondary education.
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Policy Publication Details
| Author(s): | CCPA; | ||
| Publisher: | Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives [ Visit Website ] | ||
| Year Published: | 2003; | Publisher Type: | Research Institute |
| Publicly Available: | Yes | Research Focus: | National; |
| Registration Required: | No | Language: | English French |
| Payment Required: | No | Publication Format: | Adobe PDF |
Subjects / Categories:
Policy Articles / Fiscal & Budgetary / Federal & Provincial Budget
Policy Articles / Fiscal & Budgetary / Federal & Provincial Budget / 2003
Policy Articles / Fiscal & Budgetary
Keywords / Tags:
alternative federal budget; social program spending; social reinvestment; social debt; tax structure; expenditures; revenues;