Flaherty

(CBC)

Highlights of budget 2014

  • No major tax cuts, spending falls for 3rd year in a row.

  • Move to stop suspended senators from accruing pension.

  • Creation of a DNA-based missing persons index.

  • Retired federal employees to pay roughly double for benefits

(Graphic: CBC)

Fiscal balance

  • $2.9B deficit this year, $6.4B surplus next year.

  • Debt to fall to 30.3% of GDP by 2015-16, 25% by 2021-22.

  • Economy expected to grow by 2.3% in 2014.

(Photo: Canadian Press)

Jobs and training

  • New Canada Job Grant starts April 1, with or without provinces.

  • Interest-free loans for apprentices, new internships.

  • $500M over 2 years to Automotive Innovation Fund for R&D.

  • $1.5B Canada First Research Excellence Fund over 10 years.

(Photo: CBC-D'Arcy Coulson)

Parks and infrastructure

  • $391.5M over 5 years for highways, bridges, dams in National Parks.

  • Money for bridges but municipal infrastructure details still to come.

  • $10M more over 2 years for snowmobile and recreational trails.

(Photo: Canadian Press)

Consumers

  • Cap on wholesale domestic wireless roaming costs.

  • $305M over 5 years for rural high-speed internet.

  • Promised legislation on cross-border price gaps - but no details.

(Photo: CBC)

Beer and cigarettes

  • Beer labelling rules modernized to cut red tape for micro-brewers.

  • Tax on cigarettes rises $4 to $21 a carton.

  • Legislation to reduce provincial barriers to beer and spirits.

(Photo: CBC)

Money laundering

  • Government will bring regulation to Bitcoin, the virtual currency.

  • Online casinos made subject to anti-money laundering laws.

  • Amateur sport groups will be scrutinized for possible terror ties.

(Photo: CBC)

Other measures

  • $400 million in advanced research programs for genomics, colleges and innovation
  • Aerospace industry and research funding, additional $1 billion over five years
  • Canadian International Development Agency to be wrapped into renamed Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development department
  • Investment of $8 million to refurbish Toronto's historic Massey Hall
  • Public sector labour talks to include sick leave discussion