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Butler says people suffered to get balanced budget Time to focus on eliminating the social deficit November 4, 2005
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Roland Butler, Opposition Human Resources, Labour and Employment Critic and
MHA for the District of Port de Grave, says it is fine for government to
balance the budget, but they should not do so by inflicting hardship on the
people of the province. "Government may have balanced the books, but there are thousands of families in this province who can’t balance their own books and we should not forget that point," said Butler. "The actions of the present government have caused a lot of hardship and created instability for many people in this province. There may be some accountants who are impressed with what the government has done, but the people who have had to suffer the consequences of this government’s policies will not share this same enthusiasm." The Liberal MHA says while it is important to eliminate waste in government and provide good fiscal management, proper fiscal management has to be done in a responsible manner so it does not inflict undue hardship on the people of the province. "Anyone can balance the budget if they ignore the real needs which exist. This government is getting windfall increases in revenue because of high oil prices, while the issues facing poor and middle income earners are ignored. Thousands of people have had to leave rural areas of this province and we have real problems in health care and education. "It is fine for the Minister of Finance to talk about getting the fiscal situation of the province in shape for future generations, but we also have to invest in these young people while they are in school now. We need to be investing in people now in ways that will bring long term benefits to this province. Very little would be achieved if we balance the fiscal deficit while creating a social deficit which will have to dealt with by future generations."
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