For example, the PCs say they will increase health care spending by only 1.8 per cent a year. That should be sufficient to get the PCs close to their budget reduction targets for this year and next, but it leaves a further $6 billion to be found before the budget is balanced. The government has focused its attention on spending reduction, but it is making the task of balancing the budget more difficult by also reducing revenues and adding new programs. The big ones are income tax and gas tax cuts and further reductions to power bills. If the premier chose to delay the various tax cuts, for example, he could still run in the next election boasting of having eliminated the deficit a year early, then put the tax cuts into a pre-election budget.

Source: National Post May 22, 2019 18:03 UTC