Flaherty’s magic surplus

By Montreal Simon

Well in case you thought that the Con regime was nickel and diming veterans, and killing good jobs all over the country, because they absolutely HAVE to slay the deficit.

Or as Jimbo Flaherty warned us: We could find ourselves in a big black hole, the economy is fragile, the global risk is huge etc etc.

Well forget about that eh? That was last year’s last month’s last week’s story.

Now little Jimbo claims we’re heading for an enormous surplus !!!!

The federal government will not only balance the budget in 2015, it will run up a sizable surplus before the next federal election, says Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

“The plan is to budget a surplus in 2015 and not a tiny surplus,” Flaherty said. “There will be no doubt that we’re balanced in 2015.”

Which of course is extremely convenient, coming as it does in the middle of a sordid Senate scandal. Just when Stephen Harper desperately needs to change the channel AND find the dough to bribe voters in the next election.

But leaves me wondering whether I should take the $500 bucks I’ve managed to save out of my microscopic interest bank account, and put it under my mattress.

Because as we all know little Jimbo has been wrong before eh?

Last week, Flaherty reported Ottawa had realized a $7-billion windfall in the just completed 2012-13 fiscal year, reducing the deficit to $18.7 billion, rather than the previously projected $25.9 billion.

Especially since the Parliamentary Budget Office, as usual, isn’t as optimistic as Flaherty and his Big Business friends.

Slower economic growth next year and lower-than-projected commodity prices are the key reasons for the tempered fiscal projections, says the budget office report.

“As a result, PBO’s outlook for nominal GDP — the broadest measure of the government’s tax base — is lower, by $25 billion annually, on average, than the projection based on an average of private sector forecasts.”

Chantal Hebert suggests the Cons . . .*Gasp* . . . might be playing politics.

It is possible — as the NDP has suggested — that the government’s rosy fiscal forecasting involves a large dose of opportunistic bluster. Or that it is looking to stiffen its own spine as it embarks on a new round of spending cuts. One way or another there is enough uncertainty on the economic horizon to potentially play havoc with the best-laid economic plans between now and 2015.

Given that, one can question whether Flaherty would venture as far out on the surplus limb if his government was not at such a loss to play up what it perceives as its best selling points.

And somebody forgot to tell Great Desperate Leader…

As an aside, the word “surplus” was absent from Harper’s otherwise comprehensive keynote speech to his party’s convention earlier this month.

Gawd. Does nobody tell him nothing about ANYTHING?

Because as even Canadian Business admits, he was also clearly on another wavelength during the recent Throne Speech. Or working on a different plan.

Last month’s throne speech was almost fire-breathing about the need to contain spending, announcing yet another round of restraint by way of an internal spending freeze, other targeted reductions, a balanced budget bill, and continued war on the public service in terms of going after sick-day benefits and pay levels. There was also renewed talk of selling assets.

So why are the Cons cheating veterans, and planning to go after such things as pensions and sick pay, or sell off public assets when they now apparently have a SURPLUS?

And which Con artist do you trust ? The ghastly organ grinder?

Or his monkey . . .