The empty toddler room at Compass Early Learning & Care in Bowmanville, Ont., on June 24, 2020. No child care has been open here since the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in mid-March.The Commons finance committee released a prebudget report Tuesday with 145 recommendations, many of which focus on expanding health care, but opposition parties say it fails to explain how Ottawa can afford billions in additional spending.
The report is the culmination of the committee’s annual effort to hear from groups and individuals about budget priorities. It does not attempt to calculate the total cost of the 145 recommendations. For this report, the committee heard directly from 52 witnesses and received nearly 800 written submissions.
The Conservatives and NDP both criticized the fact that the main report does not outline a plan for paying for the recommendations. The Conservative report says Ottawa should live within its means, shouldn’t approve new permanent spending programs and should plan to balance the budget within 10 years.
“I question the sincerity,” NDP MP Peter Julian said of the Liberal promises for major new social programs. “The revenue side has to be taken care of.” Some of the finance committee’s other recommendations include $7-billion to municipalities for the Rapid Housing Initiative and approval of Via Rail’s plan for a new dedicated passenger rail line between Quebec City and Toronto, called High Frequency Rail.
What a joke. God help our grandchildren