Slow First Period

The Conservative Government has just presented their first budget in Parliament. The budget and the reaction have been predictably but still disappointingly ho-hum. This budget cut GST by 1% and raised lower income tax rate by 0.5%, cut corporate tax rates, cut spending on natives and the environment, and the election promise of a child credit is included. This is a Conservative budget, so the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the natives and the environment get screwed. It is pretty much as expected. With the Liberal party in disarray, the Bloc losing ground at home, and no one listening to the NDP, it is hard to muster up any substantial objection. One interesting trend seems to continue from the last of the Paul Martin days: the two regional parties against the two nation wide parties. The Bloc is supporting the Conservatives may seem odd, as Reform was created in part in reaction to the Quebec situation, but if we look closely they may have more in common than it seems. They both have roots in separatist tendencies; they both have problem gaining support outside of their traditional bases; they both think of themselves as outsiders, and perhaps most importantly, they both dislike Ontario. With these two parties agreeing, the hope of having a fully functional opposition rests on the outcome of the excessively lengthy election of the Liberal leader. I hope they pick someone with some fire and colour to take the government to task. That is the only way the parliamentary system works. It wouldn’t hurt if the NDP find some media smarts and Jack Layton stops being nice. Let’s hope this is not a preview of things to come but a slow start for all parties.