Evaluating the Liberal Budget Amendment

From http://DevinJohnston.ca

Was the Liberals' decision to amend the budget a good one? That is the topic of a series of three videos I will be releasing in the coming days. The Liberals decided to support the budget in substance, but introduced an amendment that requires the government to report back to the House of Commons periodically on its implementation. If the implementation doesn't please the opposition, the Liberals could then (possibly) bring down the government. In assessing this decision, there are at least three key questions that we can ask:

1. Is it good political strategy? Does this help Ignatieff and the Liberals in the short- or long-term? Does it hurt them?

2. Is it good public policy? Does the passage of the budget adequately address the concerns and interests of Canadians as expressed in the last election?

3. Does it promote a more conciliatory political discourse? Canadians have spoken loudly and clearly that they want Parliamentarians to stop ideological bickering and start working together to address the challenges facing our country. Does this decision make Parliament work in the way that Canadians want?

In today's video, I discuss only the first question about political strategy. I conclude that Ignatieff's amendment has mixed implications for the fortunes of the Liberal Party.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Liberal
• Liberal-Party
• Liberal-Party-of-Canada
• Ignatieff
• Michael-Ignatieff
• Federal-Budget-2009