New budget website a ‘distraction:’ opposition

The opposition parties aren’t buying into a new government website seeking public input on the next provincial budget.

Finance Minister Graham Steele says the website and upcoming public consultations are a chance for people to come up with new ideas that could be examined as the government prepares next year’s budget.

But Conservative leader Jamie Baillie says it’s just a distraction from the province’s grim economic realities.

“This is more or less the Pac-Man method of balancing the budget, where we all go on the computer and play a little video game to try and help the government along” he said.

Baillie says Nova Scotians have a right to be skeptical about how their input will be used.

“The last time they went around and consulted with Nova Scotians, we got a 15 per cent HST as a result,” he said. “Now we have a high-tech version of the same back-to-balance consultation. I’m just hopeful this time we’ll get a different result and get a meaningful balanced budget that doesn’t cost us more in taxes.”

Liberal finance critic Diana Whalen also called the website a “diversion,” and says people she’s talking to are more worried about a plan that addresses job creation and the economy.

“What we expect right now is that the  minister’s plan to balance the books is not on track because the growth rate is not htere,” she said. “We have not had a buoyant economy the last number of months.”

Steele says that no matter what path it chooses, the government intends to remain on track to balance the budget as promised in 2013.