Chamber president criticizes budget

Fresh off a budget that posts a double-digit deficit, Finance Minister Joe Ceci was challenged Monday by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce to get Alberta’s fiscal house in order.

Ceci spoke at a chamber breakfast to tout the merits of last week’s provincial budget, which projects a $10.3 billion shortfall this year and $71 billion in debt by the end of the NDP government’s current term in 2019.

After the NDP finance minister spoke, chamber president Adam Legge told the crowd of about 200 people the budget was a disappointment to provincial businesses because it didn’t grapple with the province’s fiscal realities and the 2023 target for a return to surpluses is too far away.

He said the government can neither tax nor cut its way alone to a balanced budget and the province must look carefully at both options.

“We have to have a meaningful conversation with Albertans as to how to close that revenue and expense gap. We must start tackling our revenue and expense problem,” said Legge, who later told reporters a provincial sales tax should be part of the discussion.

Ceci told the crowd at the Hyatt hotel that the NDP is committed to keeping its spending increases under the rate of inflation plus population growth.

That, coupled with a return to solid economic growth after two years of recession, will help balance the budget.

A more aggressive approach would mean damaging cuts to public services, he said.

Speaking to reporters, the Calgary-Fort MLA said he respectfully disagreed with Legge’s critique.

“The kind of expeditious turndown in the deficit levels that they’re looking at or asking for ... I believe would be problematic for Albertans,” said Ceci.