Jim Flaherty
Stéphane Dion
Jack Layton
Gilles Duceppe
Elizabeth May
"I hear it at the hockey arena, I hear it at the coffee shops, I hear it from people on the street: taxes in Canada are way too high."
— Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
"It's our money. We'll take the money and André Boisclair will win the next Quebec election."
— Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe on money earmarked for addressing the so-called "fiscal imbalance" between Ottawa and Quebec
"I've never seen a government do so little with so much and that's why we can't support such a budget."
—Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion
"It's as if the kitchen table got a few crumbs, while the boardroom table got big corporate tax cuts."
—NDP Leader Jack Layton
"We're just losing time and we can't afford to lose time."
— Green party Leader Elizabeth May on what she called the government's "public relations" campaign with funding on the environment and climate change
"I don't think an Irishman named Jimmy Flaherty would disappoint so much as he did today. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are feeling an intense sense of betrayal here by this government."
— Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams
"This is smoke and mirrors."
— Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert
"It's obvious that those that did well today are those who are considered important to this government, and those who are considered as unimportant did badly. And we did badly."
—Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations
"The government promised in November that they were going to make Canada more competitive and control spending and I think they broke that promise today."
— Nancy Hughes Anthony of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
"The Harper government has opted for a second round of targeted tax cuts … Tax cuts cannot create child-care spaces, build affordable housing, or lower the cost of post-secondary education."
— Ellen Russell, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
"The budget shows the government is listening. It will help our manufacturers and exporters — the economic engine of the country — be more productive and competitive."
—Perrin Beatty, CEO, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
"Stephen Harper has tabled an election-ready budget, but the new packaging of the Conservatives should not fool Canadians. Underneath these new promises is their true agenda: to weaken national social programs and diminish the role of public services in Canada."
—Paul Moist, president, Canadian Union of Public Employees.
"Although we're pleased that the federal government has recognized the need to restore some funding for public post-secondary education, overall funding will still be roughly $1 billion short of 1992 levels."
—Amanda Aziz, national chair of the Canadian Federation of Students
"The Stephen Harper budget appears to be a budget structured to avoid an election. The budget recognizes problems but fails to address them. There is a nod here and a wink there, but no real solutions."
—Buzz Hargrove, president, CAW
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