Reuters :
Canada’s opposition Conservatives on Friday promised to balance the budget in five years without slashing government jobs if they win an election this month, but the ruling Liberals insisted the pledge would result in painful cuts.
The Conservatives, led by Andrew Scheer, vowed to erase a deficit of C$23 billion (13.8 billion pounds) by the 2024-2025 fiscal year, reports Reuters.
Federal public service jobs would hold steady and wages would grow as scheduled, they forecast.
The federal election is on Oct. 21, and most polls indicate Scheer has a chance of beating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came to power promising to run a series of small deficits that would be eliminated by the election.
The Liberals have ditched that pledge, citing the need to make investments in the economy, and will not say when they might eliminate the shortfall. Trudeau has vowed to ramp up spending but keep debt on a downward path.
To raise revenue, the Conservatives would eliminate corporate tax breaks worth C$1.5 billion, cut Canadian foreign aid by 25 per cent, crack down on tax evasion and impose a 3.0per cent tax on big tech companies like Facebook.
Canada’s opposition Conservatives on Friday promised to balance the budget in five years without slashing government jobs if they win an election this month, but the ruling Liberals insisted the pledge would result in painful cuts.
The Conservatives, led by Andrew Scheer, vowed to erase a deficit of C$23 billion (13.8 billion pounds) by the 2024-2025 fiscal year, reports Reuters.
Federal public service jobs would hold steady and wages would grow as scheduled, they forecast.
The federal election is on Oct. 21, and most polls indicate Scheer has a chance of beating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came to power promising to run a series of small deficits that would be eliminated by the election.
The Liberals have ditched that pledge, citing the need to make investments in the economy, and will not say when they might eliminate the shortfall. Trudeau has vowed to ramp up spending but keep debt on a downward path.
To raise revenue, the Conservatives would eliminate corporate tax breaks worth C$1.5 billion, cut Canadian foreign aid by 25 per cent, crack down on tax evasion and impose a 3.0per cent tax on big tech companies like Facebook.
