An Assessment Of The Impact Of The Federal Budget On The Canadian Economy

A clear-eyed, balanced analysis of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's legacy and impact on Canadian public policy and institutions.

"Broken down into five sections explaining how public budgets are developed, Canadian Public Finance presents a comprehensive account of the budget process of the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. With a specific focus on the public policy process, Geneviève Tellier walks readers through the five steps involved in the budget process including agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation. Taking a close look at how much influence key decision-makers actually have over the budget process, Tellier highlights recent events that reveal the political, social, and economic constraints that impact budgetary decisions. Tellier uses key words and textboxes at the end of each chapter to reflect on current issues and new developments in the world of public finance, such as gender-sensitive budgets, performance-based budgeting, and fiscal transparency."--

The 2006 federal budget was the first for a new Conservative minority government led by a prime minister from the west. As a platform for implementing distinctive election promises, the 2006 budget offered ample opportunity for rethinking fiscal priorities in Canada, such as cutting the GST, addressing fiscal imbalance with the provinces, and finding a different approach to childcare and child benefits. The papers in this volume examine the political and economic context informing the 2006 budget as well as lessons from recent U.S. tax policy debates and a quantitative evaluation of the impact of the overall budget package on the Canadian economy. Special attention is devoted to alternative federal tax structures, fiscal imbalance, and the recent federal Blue Ribbon report. Contributors also look at the new federal policy on childcare and child benefits, how the budget relates to productivity and competitiveness, and general sustainability of the new fiscal plan.