PURPOSE WAS TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE LIBERAL PARTY.

There haven’t been a lot of noteworthy achievements in Western politics of late, but — as the budget demonstrated — great strides have been made in understanding and manipulating media messaging. Sure, most of the articles about Sousa’s plan eventually got around to noting the many gaping holes in the document. The budget claims to be “balanced” even though debt will rise another $26.4 billion this fiscal year. Debt servicing costs will again eat up $1 billion a month, topping all but the highest priority programs. Even to reach those dubious levels, a great deal of hocus pocus was required: billions of dollars in expenditures for capital projects are kept off the books; billions more in borrowing is shoved into the future; one-off asset sales like the Hydro One sell-off are used to make the numbers look better than they are.

But Ontarians who care already knew that state of affairs. And look at the goodies on offer: free abortion pills! A transit credit for seniors! More childcare spaces and … did we mention this already? … a 25 per cent cut to electricity bills, which is really a 17 per cent cut, and will actually cost the province billions down the road, but who’s counting? By this time next year will Ontario’s easily-swayed voters remember any of the dirty details of the budget or the flim-flam used to manufacture its bottom line? Not likely. But they won’t be allowed to forget the government’s claim to have balanced the books, because the Liberal party will spend heavily to keep it on the airwaves (possibly using public funds on the premise that the government has a responsibility to keep residents informed of its activities).

Sousa insists the books will remain in the black for three more years, thanks in part to greater land transfer taxes from Toronto’s ballooning housing prices. The $3.1 billion a year he expects to gain might explain why the Liberals took so long to respond to demands for efforts to cool the market, which has even prosperous, fully-employed families struggling to find a home they can afford.

Many of the news reports pointed out that this was an election document, meant to present the government in the best light and win over voters even though the Liberals still have a year before they have to face voters. Of course it is. Its overwhelming purpose was to protect the interests of the Liberal party, even if it means chaining the province to the benevolence of its lenders and gambling the future on interest rate levels.

That has long been the Liberal way, and it has kept them in power for almost 14 years. Against all the odds they might even stay there, as long as Ontarians continue to swallow the sort of humbug they were presented with Thursday.