Federal Budgets

Jim Flaherty released the federal budget yesterday afternoon, and as expected it presented a “business-as-usual” approach. Announced in the midst of the Sochi Olympics, Budget 2014 contained few new policy announcements, achieving its goal of a quiet release. That silence was heard across Canada as those concerned with stubbornly high poverty rates, continued inaction against…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, ON: February 11, 2014 – Today’s federal budget will not win any medals. Though Christians across Canada have advocated for change, Budget 2014 gave those concerned with poverty, climate change, and refugees little to cheer for. “Nowhere near the podium, the federal government has missed an opportunity to lead, and has failed…

Have you ever wondered what the federal budget would look like if Citizens for Public Justice and other anti-poverty, environmental, and civil society organizations had the chance to write it? It’s all contained in this year’s Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), a collaborative project CPJ and several of our partner organizations contribute to annually. It was…

Budgets matter. Whether for a household, business, or government, they not only ensure we are being wise stewards of the resources entrusted to us, but reflect our values and priorities. They can be instruments used to bless and enrich the world around us, or they can perpetuate greed and self-interest. That is why CPJ follows…

This is the third in a three-part series highlighting CPJ’s recommendations for the 2014 federal budget as contained in Fulfilling our Collective Responsibility. This week, we discuss the injustice facing privately sponsored refugees in Canada.

This is the second in a three-part series highlighting CPJ’s recommendations for the 2014 federal budget as contained in Fulfilling our Collective Responsibility, our annual brief to the House of Commons’ Finance Committee. This week: how the federal budget can use market mechanisms to attain the government’s promised goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Budget 2013 makes it is clear that the federal government is continuing on the same trajectory. This budget provides little hope for people concerned about poverty and the environment. Economic growth and job training are the top priorities, unfortunately at the expense of almost all else. 

Today, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released the annual Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) 2013 in advance of the federal budget expected in late March. This year’s AFB, entitled, “Doing Better Together” proposes a financial plan that focuses on the public good as opposed to austerity measures that undermine growth and hurt low-income Canadians the most.