Budget 2012 - Federal departments, MP pensions, House of Com

[Faramir]

This is totally not what I was expecting. I'm happy because I thought we would have seen dramatic reforms, but I'm disappointed: it's neither fiscally conservative enough for my taste nor does it have any bearing of a ''smart'' government.

I'm curious to see what kind of impact the duty reform will have on prices in Canada.

I will continue to be disappointed by the budget as long as we have deficits. We don't need to run a deficit but it seems that our Government still wants to pay for pet projects while so many other things need done.

I hope we do open up our border more with the USA. Lower prices will help all Canadians and also follows Harper's ideal of free trade (of which I applaud him for).

Boomers should not be exempt to the OAS slash.

I also find this issue to be one that should not be ignored. The vast majority of our debt has been wrung up during and since the boomers. It still stuns me that the generation gap is so big that the youth of Canada and new citizens will be paying for their failed ideals. This is even more emphasized when I see protests due to the increased cost of tuition, rent, food and utilities such as gas...

There must be a way where boomers can help more to pay down the massive debt that we have accumulated. I watched a discussion yesterday on CBC where one of the panel said our deficit and debt can grow comfortably.

Only in their Keynsian logic could that be a good idea. Unfortunately their presumption that debt and deficit can keep growing assumes we grow at a comfortable GDP with no recessions for the next 100 years. We have been lucky lately that we have been having population growth due to immigration; but as soon as we turn the corner like Greece or Japan and have a stagnant population growth we are screwed.

[styky]

Foreign Affairs cuts could affect Canada’s international status
campbell clark
OTTAWA— From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Mar. 30, 2012 9:54PM EDT
Last updated Friday, Mar. 30, 2012 9:58PM EDT
It’s a small cut for Ottawa’s bottom line. Now the question is what impact it will have on Canada’s role in the world.

The $170-million to be sliced from the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs could come from shuttering embassies, pulling out of international organizations or cutting diplomats’ pay.

The department’s budget of about $2.5-billion includes about $900-million in grants, which pay for things such as United Nations dues. Its operating budget, money used for running embassies and conducting diplomacy around the globe, is only about $1.4-billion, so if the cuts fall mostly there, it could slice about 10 per cent from the diplomats’ budget.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has always been unloved in Ottawa, by the Conservative government and the bean-counters at the Finance Department, who often see the diplomats as privileged figures swanning about foreign capitals. There is, among the signals from Thursday’s budget, an indication that ambassadors’ residences will be sold, diplomats’ pay and rent allowances will be cut.

But the department has been squeezed for several years, essentially lopping about $180-million, noted Canada’s former ambassador to the UN, Paul Heinbecker. “When you reduce the funds, you get less,” he said. “So we’re going to have a foreign service that does less.”

Among the biggest decisions are the closing of consulates and embassies – moves that can annoy foreign countries or reduce the presence of trade counsellors.

There, like many other Western countries, Ottawa is expected to cut in the developed world – likely among its 20 missions in the United States and possibly in smaller European centres, too. The closures are expected to be coupled with the opening of a smaller number of new missions, however, focused on trade in emerging markets.

The government has also signalled it might pull out of some international organizations – the dues and grants it pays directly to organizations make up about a third of the Foreign Affairs budget. In many cases, they can’t be trimmed – dues for things like the UN and OECD are assessed, like a tax, so if you are a member, you pay. Ottawa won’t pull out of such high-profile organizations, but it could withdraw from smaller ones; the problem is the savings won’t be as big.

For diplomats, there is a signal that things will get tougher, at least in some cases. Ottawa plans to extend the standard posting abroad from three years to four. Some diplomats, posted in beautiful capitals, won’t mind. The worry, said Tim Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers, is that Ottawa will also extend hardship postings, in desolate or war-torn capitals – where postings are usually shorter, perhaps one or two years.........................http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... nt=2388008

[styky]

I came darn close to cheering when I read this.........

Federal budget: Ottawa turns its back on poorest by cutting aid budget
‎
Toronto Star -
Despite some austerity, Ottawa's spending will grow by roughly 7 per cent. ... Foreign aid will be pared back. Prime Minister Stephen Harper froze the aid ......... linked thru google

[dpwozney]

Awesome!!!

NO MORE PENNIES!!!

I have been advocating that for 25 years. Back in the day even called my MP and wrote letters to the editors.

Finally.

Gotta agree with you; I'm delighted that the penny will be going the way of the dodo.

Now, when the penny is finally no longer made and no longer in mass circulation, the dollar can be devalued even more!

With the penny still currently being made and in mass circulation, the dollar can’t be devalued much more.

When the penny is no longer made and no longer in mass circulation, the dollar can be devalued much more.

With no penny, and with the cost of making the nickel currently about 2.5 cents, the dollar can be devalued to about half it’s present value, before the nickel costs the RCM money to mint.

Right now, with the penny still currently being made and in mass circulation, if the dollar was devalued a lot, there would be a run on pennies.

Pennies minted before 1997 are 98% copper.

Pennies minted in 1997, 1998, and 1999 are 98.4% zinc. About half the pennies minted after 1999 are not magnetic and therefore are not 94% steel and may also be 98.4% zinc.

Recent April 2nd USD metal values of these pennies are listed at the “Canada Circulating Coinage Intrinsic Value Table” at Coinflation.com.

Also, if the dollar was devalued a lot and the penny was still to be made, the cost of making even the 94% steel penny would be many, many cents, and too many cents for the RCM.

With at least 25 billion pennies in circulation, at least 250 million dollars worth of pennies, in face value, is being removed to save the Canadian economy about $11 million per year.

[wallstone]

"The department’s budget of about $2.5-billion includes about $900-million in grants, which pay for things such as United Nations dues. Its operating budget, money used for running embassies and conducting diplomacy around the globe, is only about $1.4-billion, so if the cuts fall mostly there, it could slice about 10 per cent from the diplomats’ budget."


I understand Canada's UN dues are up to date while many other countries are billions behind in their dues. I suggest
Canada either stop paying UN dues or better yet completely withdraw from that corrupt organization .

[styky]

Marathon NDP budget response puts Liberal noses out of joint
gloria galloway
OTTAWA— Globe and Mail Update
Posted on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 5:33PM EDT

For three days it seemed as if the New Democrats were filibustering the Liberals to prevent them from responding to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget.

In fact, NDP officials say they were merely blocking members of the Conservative government from running through talking points about how the budget they tabled last week will serve Canadians.

In the end, the tactic prevented both Liberals and Conservatives from speaking – a demonstration of both the style of NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and the large divide that remains between New Democrats and Liberals.

The NDP, as Official Opposition, were permitted to use an unlimited amount of the four days allotted in the Commons to budget response. But they were expected to allow the third-party Liberals to also have a chance to speak.

For the longest time, it seemed the NDP was determined not to let that happen.

Peter Julian, the Opposition finance critic, was on his feet last week, then again Monday and Tuesday, telling Parliament what his party thinks of the government’s latest fiscal plan. By the final day, he was reduced to reading the e-mails and Twitter messages from Canadians who agree with New Democrats that the budget is wrong-headed.

By his own estimation. Mr. Julian talked non-stop for the better part of 14 hours over the course of four days. His voice had started to wear thin and he was forced to drink repeated sips of water just to keep going.

And the Liberals were not happy about it. ......................http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le2391097/

[Hodgson]

Did not notice.


Neither did most Canadians.