Some NDP promises postponed

CALGARY The NDP government is not balking at fulfilling its election promises to hike taxes on businesses and well-to-do Albertans.

But Tuesday’s budget shows that amid tough economic times in the province, Finance Minister Joe Ceci has postponed delivering on some pledges his party made during last spring ’s election campaign to increase social spending.

“Even if some are slower and a little lower, they will all be addressed during our term in office,” Ceci told reporters before his budget speech.

Here are the highlights on how the government is faring so far on some of its commitments:

The two-percentage-point increase in corporate tax is expected to add an extra $250 million to government coffers this year, while progressive rates for those who earn more than $125,000 in annual income will add $450 million to the province’s revenues.

While the NDP has added $816 million to the health-care budget proposed by their Tory predecessors last March, they have failed to honour a pledge to increase spending on long-term care and home care by $70 million annually.

The new government is spending $90 million more on K-12 education after reversing the cuts planned by former Tory premier Jim Prentice’s regime, but it has not yet delivered on $170 million in promises to lower class sizes, reduce school fees and provide school lunches to the poorest children.

The province is spending $89 million this year to establish a job creation incentive program, but it has postponed a $50-million pledge to create more affordable child-care spaces for Alberta families.