By Andrea Nicholl
The 2010 federal budget will be released today, with predictions rumouring change ahead and a plan to move forward.
Vegreville-Wainwright MP Leon Benoit said Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has remained mum about the new federal budget, but predicts 2010 will be a year for government to look beyond recovery and to work on balancing the budget.
“We have to look toward ending the deficit. In the budget tomorrow we’ll probably come out with a $55 billion deficit, which will be the third highest in Canadian history,” said Benoit, during a Wednesday morning interview.
“It’s pretty clear that we will be focussing on reducing or eliminating that and my guess is that it will be a five to six year plan; trying to do it over a two or three years could actually throw us back into a recession.”
Benoit said Canadians will likely see a shift in priorities, with predictions of the 2010 budget demanding new focus and a “completely new way of thinking” on part of the Canadian public and federal government. The local MP said the new budget will likely fulfill its delivery of stimulus funding and move toward a reduction in federal government spending by finding efficiencies in federal departments.
“Thinking that we have to reduce spending and balance the budget over a set period of time is not an easy thing to do,” said Benoit.
“I think it’s a fundamental change in direction, I think it’s critical to let the departments know, within the federal government, that a change in direction is coming as soon as the economy has clearly turned around and it’s important for the Canadian public and the opposition parties to hear that we can’t continue to spend like we were during the stimulus spending.
“It’s going to be a complete change in thinking and a complete change in focus,” predicted Benoit. “The plan that we do put in place will be something that will work, I am confident of that.”
Minister of Finance Jim Faherty will present the 2010 Federal Budget in the House of Commons today at 4 p.m. (EST).