September 24, 2008

TOEWS CONCERNED THAT DION'S NUMBERS DON'T ADD UP

TOEWS CONCERNED THAT DION'S NUMBERS DON'T ADD UP

Vic Toews, Conservative candidate for Provencher, expressed concern over the election platform recently released by Stéphane Dion’s Liberal Party. The platform fails to account for billions in promises Dion has made over the past two years. The plan would result in crippling tax hikes, multi-billion dollar deficits, or both. Furthermore, it would jeopardize Canada’s economic fundamentals in a time of global uncertainty.
The platform that Dion released contains a fatal flaw - the numbers simply don’t add up. Notable holes include:
• Breaking his promise to implement the Kelowna Accord by planning to spend less than half of what he declared was previously needed.
• Massively underestimating the cost of his Catastrophic Drug Plan.
• Announcing last week that he would spend $1.25 billion per year on child care but only budgeting $1.5 billion over four years for this commitment.
• A $1 billion error in his tax calculations resulting from counting the elimination of taxes on income trusts as an increase in government revenue when it would actually result in a reduction.
In fact, if Mr. Dion fully implemented all the promises that he has made, it would create an annual average deficit of $12.85 billion, saddling Canadians with over $51 billion in new debt over the next four years.
“Dion’s numbers don’t add up and Canadians will face more debt and higher taxes if the Liberals come back to power,” said Toews. “At a time of global economic uncertainty, Canadians will conclude that Mr. Dion is not worth the risk.”
Mr. Dion’s claim that he will balance the budget by reallocating $12 billion in his fiscal plan just doesn’t add up. This is the same Mr. Dion who has opposed every single cut that this government has made. It is simply not credible that he will be able to find these savings without making substantial service cuts - something he has promised not to do.
“For two and half years, our Conservative government has proven that we will stick to our principles and deliver on our commitments. This is the steady leadership that Canadians need right now,” concluded Toews.