VICTORIA – Premier Gordon Campbell cracked a joke about the province's finances at today's cabinet swearing in, but re-appointed finance minister Colin Hansen insisted the deficit will not grow.
“I hope they'll be cheering like that after September first,” Campbell quipped as Hansen got a heartier-than-average response from the crowd at Government House when his name was called during the ceremony.
Sept. 1 the Liberals will introduce a revised budget, Campbell said earlier in the week. He invited speculation that the $495-million deficit promised in February and reaffirmed during the election was set to grow when he said, “When facts change we have to be willing to change.”
In a scrum with reporters following today's ceremony, Hansen said the February budget figures remain accurate. “Given what we know today, if I was in a position to table a budget today, it would be a deficit of $495 million or less,” he said. “I'm still confident that come Sept. 1 that we will be able to deliver on that.”
Hansen pointed out that the economic forecasters use calendar years while the government's fiscal years start on April 1. That means the 2009 forecasts for low growth or a recession include a quarter that is captured in the government's 2008-2009 budget year. Similarly, the government's 2009-2010 year will include the first quarter of 2010, a year forecasters expect will have stronger growth, he said.
Asked if the 2008-2009 results are therefore worse than expected, Hansen said, “We are still finalizing public accounts . . . We will wait until everything is finalized and I have the opportunity to table those documents.”
When pressed, he said he expects the public accounts, normally released in July, will show a small surplus for 2008-2009. “That is still my expectation,” he said.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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VivianLea Doubt
2 years ago
Sounds like the minister
is taking Viagra. Remember those happy, happy, day after commercials? Either that,or he nipped out and smoked a joint.
Van Isle
2 years ago
The bandits in Victoria are
The bandits in Victoria are in the process on figuring out how to flog BC's assets. Is it ICBC, or what portion of BC Hydro?
Moonbug
2 years ago
Van Isle is on to something
The absolute only way they can pull off a budget anything like the heap of fluff they tabled to trick the masses before the election is to sell off something big or cut so very deep that the screaming would echo even in Liberal strongholds.
DPL
2 years ago
Oh yes Colin, we believe you
Oh yes Colin, we believe you even when your friends like Phil Hokstein say 2 billions would be OK. The Minister is a parrot repeating anyhting Gordo tells him to say
BCLibFan
2 years ago
To all the cynics out there...
Band together to spread out the costs, file a FOIA request and get the docs.
Or stop it.
G West
2 years ago
BCLIBFAN
Stop what?
The lies from Campbell's puppets sure aren't going to start...and now we have more useless ministers to pay for.
How about YOU justify the lies Hansen's already made?
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
More deficit...
Absolutely. Well, unless there’s an election coming, in which case we will continue to lie as long as necessary.
If Hansen believes this at all, he is surely the only person in the province. The very “forecasters” the province used to develop the budget think the deficit will be far larger:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Business/deficit+could+reach+billion/1633127/story.html
Those same forecasters have been, if anything, consistently overly optimistic about BC’s financial situation, predicting 1.3 percent real GDP growth in 2008. BC instead saw a decline of 0.3 percent:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/04/28/BCInRecession/
Other provinces expect enormous deficits, e.g.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/04/07/edm-alberta-budget.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/03/26/ontario-budget-0326.html
But Hansen believes BC will magically escape a large deficit? I guess it’s just like how he believed that BC would avoid a recession:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/11/20/bc-no-recession-deficit.html
He was monumentally wrong on both counts. What will the result be of half-heartedly trying to meet the deficit target in this fudge-it budget? Cuts!
http://www.theprovince.com/Health/Health+cuts+send+shockwaves/1680168/story.html
At least some of those cuts will be of Hansen’s salary:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Those+pesky+budget+decisions+summer+discontent+Liberals/1676707/story.html
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
@ BCLibFan
Make me, bitch.
BCLibFan
2 years ago
I guess you want to live in neverneverland
without the government intel.
That was my "double dog dare" in pure Langley Libertarian tradition.
Oh and how would you fill these cuts? Higher taxes - tried that and the voters said no. Cutting cabinet - won't do much to matter.
Keep on. Nobody really cares for this blog's mostly left-wing commentators anyhow.
G West
2 years ago
BCLibFan
You might be interested to note that Tyee's readership constantly increases; that a campaign a couple months ago meant to raise 5G actually generated more that 20 thousand dollars in donations and that Can West shares are now worth...what???
More and more people care - and we'd really like you to stick around too - you make such an easy target.
Is that the John Les Langley Libertarian tradition you're referring to?
BTW, I'm working on a discussion of the lack of qualifications for their jobs of the current pack of yes men and women in the Executive Council.
You do know what that means don't you?
BCLibFan
2 years ago
G West...
I meant the Honourable Mary Polak, MLA, DAAH!! Watch last minute of http://bit.ly/h4rFO and you'll see what a "double dog dare" is.
As to the claim of Premier Campbell lying, SHOW ME THE DOCUMENTS TREASURY BOARD HAS SEEN OR SHOW ME THE ACTUAL INTEL THE PREMIER HAS SEEN FROM HIS OWN GOVERNMENT. Then and only then can you start calling our Premier a liar because to lie is "to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive" as per http://bit.ly/FGZbE - link to Dictionary.com
If you can't show the documents like Barbarians in the Garden City published an appendice of 1996 Fudge-It Budget docs, keep blathering on. PublicEyeOnline is also growing in readership and also full of Langley Libertarian spunk.
G West
2 years ago
Please re-read
This is what I wrote:
How about YOU justify the lies Hansen's already made?
The list is endless, start back just before Christmas...if you actually 'knew' anyone with contacts to the Finance ministry you'd know that revenues were already tanking months before while Hansen kept playing 'everything's coming up roses'.
Those are lies - by any useful definition of the word. As for Mary Polak (or however she spells her name) there's nothing honourable about someone whose personal campaign cost the taxpayers of Surrey $764,898 from the school-district funds.
BCLibFan
2 years ago
Thanks G West
#1. Show me the Finance Ministry docs, then I'll join your crusade to sack this guy. I'm beginning to think he's too slick for Polak's Place - depends on the docs. First person who gets docs? Maureen Bader, CTF-BC C-in-C.
#2. As to my hero, go HERE where Lorne Maynecourt said "Ms. Polak supported the ban because, "She was acting as a responsible chairperson (for the school board). She had to respect the views of her fellow trustees. And she had to find a way of bringing them around to the notion of accepting equality and demystifying same-gender marriages. And she did that."" Also go HERE and note Ms. Polak said, "The Supreme Court of Canada remanded the decision on the books back to the board with specific criteria including sensitivity to the cultural and religious concerns of parents (consider paragraph 66 of the decision). The Board again declined approval. The Board then approved two books dealing with same-sex families that are of much higher quality and are much more appropriate in kindergarten or Grade 1 classrooms. The central point of departure for the court was the issue of what was intended by the curriculum (remember, the Ministry of Education had approved NO materials dealing with same sex relationships for primary grades). The court determined that the curriculum intended that all lawful family models be included." Perhaps some guidance from the NDP and BCLib Education Ministries led by chaps like Joy MacPhail and Christy Clark (social libs if ever) could have stopped that one and kept $$$ in classroom...
Long quote, but I'm tired of reading the lies about the Honourable Mary Polak, MLA.
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
@ BCLibFan
Langley, eh? My condolences.
I think if it comes down to low taxes versus good health care and education, most people would choose the latter.
What are you talking about?
We know that Campbell's own forecast council (including Helmut Pastrick and Jock Finlayson) disagree with him. One month ago your Fearless Leader was saying this:
He knew that revenue was declining, but he stuck with the (already overly optimistic) deficit of 495 million $ during the election. We won't know how bad the numbers are until July, but the intent of the deception was obvious: the election last May. Now that that obstacle is past, him, Campbell can afford to be philosophical about the whole thing:
G West
2 years ago
Baloney
Mary Polak and Heather Stilwell are birds of a feather...I know!
Read the decision of the SCC.. and enjoy paying that almost $800,000.00 bill.
You simply don't know what you're talking about my friend - I guess you're a typical British Columbian from the Fraser Valley.
Colin Hansen KNEW - and not from his buddies Jock and Helmut - that revenues were DOWN while he was still lying to the people of the province. If you actually knew anything about how revenues come in to the province you wouldn't make such a patently foolish statement.
I have a bridge for sale if you're interested though relying upon Lorne Mayencourt for anything will REALLY get you in trouble though....
Maureen Bader... you MUST be joking!
BCLibFan
2 years ago
G West, no you are being silly
I read the decision, Mary Polak's explanation to PublicEyeOnline as well as all I can on the affair - good enough.
Also before I respond to another allegation about Deputy Premier Hansen I want a Finance Ministry or BC Cabinet official document. Please.
Lorne Mayencourt's a showboat, but a good man. He wouldn't land a block "just because" and was/is a good wingman for the Honourable Mary Polak, MLA :-).
As to Maureen Bader, she has criticized the Supercabinet to CKNW. Also the CTF worked on the 1996 Fudge-It Budget expose.
G West
2 years ago
Then you pay the bill buddy
It's all yours since you love Mayencourt and pal Polak so much...YOU pay the bill.
BC Cabinet documentation is useless - you clearly haven't got a clue about how the finance department recognizes revenues and does its day by day accounting.
Campbell is the CEO of this government - he makes all the decisions and none of the pussy cats in his cabinet do a thing without running it through the Premier's office.
Get a grip - I'm not wasting another moment trying to educate you.
As for Maureen Bader - as I said, you must be joking.
BCLibFan
2 years ago
Why should I pay?
For an allegation you hurl at my people without proof they are committing acts "to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive" about internal briefings w/ best intel.
Hmmm...
VivianLea Doubt
2 years ago
jimmy-laroux
Where ya been? You're funny :)
G West
2 years ago
What are you talking about?
Polak was the chair of the school board - she could have acted otherwise - she didn't and you think it's fine.
YOU should pay the bill.
That would be fine with me.