Conservatives promise jobs, deliver cuts

After promising jobs and growth, the Harper Conservatives have delivered a budget that slashes the services Canadians rely on.

Health care cuts: Their new funding formula short-changes provinces by $31-billion, meaning longer wait times and fewer doctors.
Pension cuts: They’ll force seniors to work two more years, to the age of 67, before they can receive Old Age Security (OAS).

This budget fails Canadians. Now it’s up to all of us to hold these Conservatives accountable. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.

Stephen Harper ran an entire election campaign without saying one word about his plans to cut OAS or health transfers. And last June, he said in the House of Commons: “We will not cut pensions. We will not cut transfers to the provinces for major programs such as health care.”

What Mr. Harper did promise was jobs and growth. But there’s nothing in this budget to spark substantial job-creation or address economic inequality.

Budgets are about choices, and the Conservatives have made the wrong ones. They want you to tighten your belt while they continue to blow billions on failed fighter jets that don’t meet Canada’s needs, a costly prisons agenda and more handouts for banks and big polluters.

Once again, they are looking out for their friends but ignoring the needs of most Canadians.

Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats will oppose this Conservative budget—unless it is rewritten to deliver on the priorities of Canadian families, such as:

Targeted incentives to create good jobs. Concrete measures to protect retirement security Stable funding so provinces can hire more doctors and nurses.

Let’s send a message to Stephen Harper. He must not balance the books on the backs of seniors who can’t retire in dignity, or families who can’t find a doctor.