2010 Federal Budget winners and losers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2010 (5776 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The winners

Athletes

Fresh off a record-breaking 14 gold medals at the Vancouver Olympics, Canada’s elite athletes are getting $34 million over the next two years for training and preparation for the Winter and Summer Olympics. Which sports will get which money is being saved for a future, no doubt Maple Leaf-laden government announcement.

 

Research

A new fellowship program to attract post-doctoral researchers, funding for nuclear and particle physics research, more money for research-granting councils, $75 million for genomics research, money to offset the indirect costs of research.

"We’re pleased in a year that’s tight, universities in general and research is a priority," University of Manitoba president David Barnard said.

Single parents

 

The $100-per-month child benefit that single-earner, two-parent families get to mostly keep by claiming it against the taxable income of a stay-at-home parent, is being levelled out. Single parents will be able to claim it on a tax return for their child, allowing them as well, to reduce the taxes paid on the amount.

 

Crunching numbers

2010

Spending: $280.5 billion Revenues: $231.3 billion

Deficit: $49.2 billion

 

The losers

The environment

In Wednesday’s throne speech, the Harper government said it would provide funding to meet Canada’s Copenhagen commitment to help developing countries adapt to climate change. There also was a pledge to lead the world in clean-energy generation. In Thursday’s budget, climate change wasn’t even mentioned and production incentives for wind energy that run out at the end of 2010 were not renewed.

 

The arts

 

There isn’t a single mention of arts or culture in the budget speech, and outside of some previously announced culture dollars from the infrastructure-stimulus program, arts and culture programs are virtually absent from this year’s budget.

 

The poor

 

If you’re not a single parent with a child under six there is little in the budget to help ease your empty wallet. Restraint on social programs means no new tax cuts, no jump in the basic personal exemption, no new spending for community groups fighting poverty.