Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Political Parties: Steal This Platform

• CTF Releases Taxpayer-Friendly Provincial Election Platform given declining enrollment

REGINA, SK: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released a provincial election platform today; a document with taxpayer friendly initiatives for political parties to consider as they work on their election platforms. The taxpayer-friendly platform includes policy ideas on tax relief, spending, justice matters, environmental policy, accountability measures, health care, and the debt.

Silly Hall’s Strange Priorities

With serious issues facing the City of Regina like a $1.3 billion infrastructure deficit and a $238 million shortfall in its pension plan, why is council spending its time and your money worrying about tracking the trips you take in taxis? A new report going to council is pushing for the city to hire two new employees to have unlimited access to track where people are going in the city by taxi. Supposedly the two new employees will be paid a combined total of about $89,000, but everyone knows that number will shoot up once the employees join the union and city pension plan.

Cash for Car Thieves

Fasten your seatbelts for this revelation. If a punk steals your car, smashes it up and gets injured in the process, he or she will get compensation from Saskatchewan Government Insurance. Yes, you read that right.

Taxpayer Friendly MPI Reform

With a provincial election coming up this fall, here are some taxpayer friendly changes to Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) that you might consider urging political parties to embrace.

Parties not disclosing what they will do to fix Canada’s broken Acces to Information system

Ottawa/Toronto/Vancouver: The federal Access to Information system is in chaos, but the parties seeking office have said nothing about what they will do to fix it.

McGuinty Budget Fails to Halt Debt Crisis, Control Spending

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) chastised the McGuinty government today for its failure to control spending and stop Ontario from sliding into a major debt crisis.

National Debt Clock Tour Wraps-up as Writ Drops

• Thirty-three days, 9 provinces, 71 communities, over 10,000 kilometres and $3,661,643,836 further in debt.
• Debt clock still spinning at $1,284 per second as candidates hit the hustings.

LUNENBURG, NS: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) wrapped up its Winter 2011 National Debt Clock Tour this afternoon in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia after travelling over 10,000 kilometres from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Kudos and Caution on Sask Budget

Positive reinforcement is a wonderful thing, so let’s start off by giving a thumbs-up to Finance Minister Ken Krawetz for a few goodies in his budget plan. First, he did something that sounds really geeky, but it will save virtually everyone in the province a good chunk of change.

Federal Budget Fails to Control

• CTF slams increased spending, corporate welfare
• Supports job creating business tax relief

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) gave a mixed reaction to today’s federal budget. While rightfully withstanding opposition calls to hike business taxes, Budget 2011 increases spending and continues to project deficits into 2015-16.

McFadyen Should Embrace Responsible Spending

On May 19, 2010, provincial Progressive Conservative MLA Len Derkach rose in the legislature and accused the NDP government of “spending money in this province like a bunch of drunken sailors.” As the provincial NDP have increased spending at more than double the combined rate of inflation and population growth over the past decade, Mr. Derkach’s words were right on the money.

National Debt Clock Comes to Ontario & Quebec

OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s (CTF) National Debt Clock Tour will come to Central Canada this week with stops in London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Whitby, Cobourg, Bellville, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The coast-to-coast tour left Victoria B.C. on February 22, 2011 bringing with it a simple message: “cut spending, balance the budget and stop this clock.”

Debt Free Saskatchewan

If skyrocketing oil and gas revenues helped Alberta’s provincial government pay off its debt, couldn’t skyrocketing resource revenues allow Saskatchewan to do the same? The answer of course is “yes.” After all, if the government doesn’t pay off the debt during the good times, how is it going to pay it off during the bad times?

Forget families, BC Liberal MLAs are putting themselves first

Are BC Liberal MLAs putting families first? Christy Clark, their new boss, says putting families first is going to be the government’s top priority.

Edmonton, Red Deer and Lloydminster Stops on the National Debt Clock Tour

RED DEER, AB: A small adjustment to the original tour schedule means the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's (CTF) National Debt Clock will be in Red Deer this morning, in Edmonton this afternoon and in Lloydminster on Thursday. The Clock was originally scheduled to be in Edmonton on Thursday and Lloydminster on Friday.

Alberta leg of the National Debt Clock Tour

KAMLOOPS, BC: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation will be driving the National Debt Clock across Alberta next week with stops planned for Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and Lloydminster, among other communities along the route.

Christy Clark scores highest in Canadian Taxpayers Federation survey - Falcon ranks second

Christy Clark scored highest amongst BC Liberal leadership candidates in a comprehensive policy survey conducted by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), followed by Kevin Falcon.

Accountability is Key to Infrastructure Deficit

There is no doubt that many roads and bridges in the province of Manitoba are in rough shape.

Federal Fish Factory Floundering Says Audit

WINNIPEG, MB: Following the release of a "special examination" by the auditor general's office on the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC), the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the federal government to protect taxpayers by pulling the plug on the crown corporation and allow fishermen to market their catch themselves.

Bring Back Compassion to Tax System

Although many Canadians pride themselves on living in a “compassionate” country, our personal income tax system has completely been drained of real compassion; it especially gouges low income earners.

BC budget disappoints as spending and borrowing rise

• Cost overruns of $440 million in 2010
• Total debt ballooned $7.5 billion in 2010, $6.1 billion forecast for 2011
• Lower deficit achieved by gouging households

VICTORIA, BC: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is disappointed with the B.C. government’s management of the public purse and troubled by rising public debt forecast in today’s provincial budget.