What do you hope to see in the federal budget? - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 05:43 AM | Calgary | 0.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
PoliticsCBC Forum

What do you hope to see in the federal budget?

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau will introduce the Liberal government's first budget Tuesday in Ottawa. What do you want to see in the budget?

Finance Minister Bill Morneau to introduce Liberal government's 1st budget tomorrow

The Liberals have promised more infrastructure spending. Finance Minister Bill Morneau will introduce the government's first budget tomorrow. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

TheLiberal government will unveil itsfirst budget Tuesday in Ottawa.

The government haspromised to borrow heavily to finance newinfrastructure spending, but how fast the money will roll out andwhere initial spending will be focused remaina matter ofconjecture.

The deficit, according to Finance Minister BillMorneau, has already ballooned to$18.4 billion before any new budgetary spending is announced,leading to expectations that the Liberals' promised $10-billionshortfall will be closer to $30 billion in 2016-17.

Other highlights expected to be announced include apromised $22-billionCanada child benefit, a loweredeligibility age for Old Age Security andthe elimination of some programs favoured by the previous Conservative government.

What announcements are you looking forward to or dreading?

What do you want to see in the budget?

Readers let us know in the latest CBC Forum a live, hosted discussion about topics of national interest. Here's a look atsome of the spending or lack of spending they are hoping for.

(Please note that user names are not necessarily thenames of commenters. Some comments have been alteredto correct spelling andto conform to CBC style. Click on the user name to see the comment in the blog format.)

"I hope to see something aboutlower tuition and more student loans or grantsfor students. It's not enough now with the cost of living, and an increase would be really nice." Lachlan

"I would like to see something for seniors.Let us use ourRRSPmoney say, 5,000 to 10,000dollar for dollar for medical.Hearing aids, dentistry, vision. These costs are very expensive and we suffer. To purchase hearing aids for $5,000we need to cash in close to $8,000in locked-up money." Paul

"I really want to see additional funding for infrastructure and mental health. These two topics seemunrelated, but the reality isboth involve investing in the country nowso that Canada is a better place tomorrow. Our mental-health system is causing thousands to slip through the cracks and live in perpetual poverty. Infrastructure is a similar case:we need to keep our roads, railways, waterways et al working the same or betterthan our standard today. If not, we will fail to meet our potential as a nation." Matt

"I would like to see money spent on building a sustainable national mental-health system that is evidence-based. At present there is underfunding, or funding for mental health is treated like the destitute cousin of physical health." David Butler

"I'd like to see what they will do for the Armed Forces. Their equipment is antiquated or gone. We owe it to them to provide the tools they need to do the job." Thinkifucan

"I'd love to see a balanced budget ensuring my taxes never increase. Can this governmentever do that? Not in a million years with this plan." Dayton Funk

"I would like to see a deficit my unborn grandchildren will not still be paying.More realistically, I'd like to see anelimination of GST or HST on books, magazines and other reading material." Andrew of Richmond

"It's definitely time for aguaranteedminimum income. If we could just see this one item implemented, it would solve many problems for families who are severely struggling to remain off of the homeless list." Sean Henley

"I would like to seean increase in the GST or personal income taxto pay for the budget. I would prefer we pay for it now and not put it on the back of our children and grandchildren." tomsbeard@outlook.com

Can't see the forum? Click here.

With files from The Canadian Press