Globe and Mail
Stephen Harper's Conservatives are selling their new budget as a big win for British Columbia in a bid to shore up their support in the only region where it has fallen, but almost all of the money is a rehash of Liberal budget commitments.[!-- /Summary --] After a rocky start in B.C. when the appointment of former Liberal David Emerson to the Harper cabinet incited a controversy, the Tories are trying to increase their following in a province that, along with Quebec, could hold the key to winning a majority government in the next election. Although Quebec is seen as the place they can make gains that will convert their minority to a majority, the Tories are eyeing the re-conquest of the 10 seats they lost in B.C. in the past two elections as the potential clincher. That makes the province an important second front.
Tory MP James Moore, Mr. Emerson's parliamentary secretary for the Pacific Gateway project, has acted as the point man for efforts to sell the budget as a "big win" for B.C., making appearances on radio and TV. "B.C. for a long time has felt left out and this government has done more for B.C. in one budget than the Liberals did in 12 years," Mr. Moore said yesterday.
As examples, he cited funding for the Pacific Gateway ports infrastructure project, an infusion of $400-million over two years for the lumber industry to combat pine beetle infestation, B.C.'s $171-million share of public transit funds and a pledge to bring back a regular army presence removed when the Chilliwack base was closed.
But opposition critics called it "smoke and mirrors," arguing some of the items cited as wins are in fact cuts, others a rehash of Liberal budget commitments and some just not there.
Among other things, Mr. Moore extolled changes to equalization payments as "an unexpected equalization cash windfall of $200-million," when it was really Quebec that got the big bonus.
In fact, B.C. got exactly what it was previously expected to receive -- $459-million. Tuesday's budget included two separate changes to equalization: one deducted $199-million from B.C.'s equalization payment and another added the $199-million back in. "From our point of view, there was no windfall," B.C. Finance Minister Carole Taylor said in an interview, adding the province received the $459-million Ottawa pledged last November.
Six other so-called have-not provinces, however, did get an unexpected increase in the amounts the previous Liberal government had announced, sharing $255-million, with Quebec receiving $185-million of that sum.
Mr. Moore also noted the Conservative budget set aside $591-million for the Pacific Gateway project, but spread it over eight years, while the Liberals committed the same sum over only five.
The Tories' allocation of $400-million over two years to combat pine beetle infestation and support workers in forestry was cited by Ms. Taylor as an improvement -- but still not enough.
But Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh insisted B.C. lost out because its large number of aboriginals will not get extra money promised under the Kelowna accord the Liberals signed in November. The Pacific Gateway will be delayed by a slower flow of money, he said, and the Conservatives included no money to help pay for cost overruns for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
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