Budget déjà vu as Wynne gov’t retables spending plan

(Update)

This was Ontario budget day — version 2.0. Even the government called it “budget light” and “budget deja vu.” The now majority Liberal government re-introduced the budget it first tabled in May. And Kathleen Wynne and Charles Sousa brought in exactly the same budget.

Word for word, this is the budget from May 1st. The only thing different between then and now is the the election campaign and the Liberal majority government that campaigned on this budget.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa got his budget re-do in the legislature: “Mr. Speaker. As I was saying. I rise to present the 2014 Ontario budget”.

Sousa said the government promised to re-introduce its budget if it was re-elected and was following through on that promise.

It introduced exactly the same budget book tabled before the election. A plan to spend 130 billion dollars over the year. And bring in programs like the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan and 29 billion dollars in road and transit spending: “More is being done with less”.

The government is also promising to eliminate the deficit and balance the budget by 2017-18 by holding down spending: “We will cut expenses where we can. We will continue to invest where we must, all within the balance framework”.

But the opposition Conservatives says the government’s re-election wasn’t about the budget, but Conservative campaign errors.

Jim Wilson is the Interim PC Leader: “I don’t think the people of Ontario voted for this budget as the government says. They voted against us because of the mistakes we made”.

They say the government’s plan to balance the budget won’t work. And the province will have to cut jobs or services.

Jim Wilson: “They’re really giving false hope to people by 5.7 billion dollars in new spending today. But tomorrow they’re going to have to start cutting”.

Andrea Horwath is the Ontario NDP Leader: “It’s not only how and where they’re spending. It’s how and where the cuts are coming, that’s what the Liberals are not coming clean about”.

The opposition also says the budget is creating economic risk for Ontario in the face of one negative rating from a debt-rating agency and fears of downgrades in the province’s credit rating.

And with 34 thousand jobs lost in Ontario last month, the NDP says the budget does nothing to turn around that jobs crisis. But now that the Liberals have a majority it’s a sure thing the budget will pass.