Conservatives save the suffering for after the election

February 10, 2012

Alberta’s NDP Opposition leader Brian Mason says the Conservatives are playing budget roulette, with the losses racking up after the next election.

“They’re hiding a big deficit by predicting boom-like economic growth and draining the sustainability fund.  They’ll kick dust into Albertans’ eyes until after the coming election, when they’ll either have to raise taxes or painfully slash programs,” Mason says. “Albertans shouldn’t take this budget to the bank.”

There are $360 million in mystery cuts the Conservatives say they’ll make in the next year, but won’t say what they’ll cut.

The Conservatives have also lurched toward privatizing seniors care by cutting funding to cap-bound seniors homes by two-thirds, while increasing grants available to private facilities.

“With that sizable cut, the Conservatives are certain to raise the cap on what seniors pay every day to live in care. We know that privatization costs more money and delivers poor care. It’s the wrong priority,” Mason says.

Post-secondary students will also suffer under this budget, with $100 million in cuts to post-secondary education funding.

“Students can expect an increase in fees thanks to this Conservative budget. This is a time we should be supporting post-secondary students, not cutting funding,” Mason says.