Jack's Pack #8 - Show me the money Jack! (en francais)

Jack's Pack #8 - Show me the money Jack!

Everyone knows the Liberals are masters at the smoke and mirrors game, everyone but the Jack Pack, that is.

NDP’s budget a better approach

“It also is inconsistent with Mr. Martin’s support of the NDP’s better, balanced budget, whose measures to make education more accessible explicitly called for provincial consultation,” he said. “Mr. Martin can’t keep making things up as he goes. Something as vital as education needs a better approach than more federalism-on-the-fly from Mr. Martin.”

So, as of the 12th of August, Jack is still claiming that Paul Martin supports the NDP's 'better, balanced budget'.

But, how do you explain this?

“It's a double-cross and a breach of the agreement.” NDP finance critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis (National Post, July 16, 2005)

“The more distance they can put between the NDP budget and the actual expenditure, the more it is to their political advantage and the more work we have to do to remind Canadians just how this happened.” Judy Wasylycia-Leis (National Post, July 16, 2005)

“There is no doubt that the money is flowing, they're just trying to play some games in the way they communicate this issue… If the Liberals try to change their tune, they'll have to be accountable for that in the session in the fall.” Jack Layton (National Post, July 16, 2005)

If "there is no doubt that the money is flowing" - where is it? What are the program details and timelines? When can Canadians expect to see the results of your propping up a tired old Liberal party?

Here's the Liberal party's answer:

"Liberal MP John McKay, parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, Tuesday told the Senate committee on finance, currently studying the bill, that the government will not know its 2005-06 surplus until August or September 2006. Not a penny from the NDP-negotiated budget can be spent until then, and only if the government has a $2-billion surplus." (Canwest News Service, July 16th)

In spite of that "double-cross and a breach of the agreement" the Jack Pack is going to enter the Liberal party's Funhouse of Smoke and Mirrors once again.

NDP will push Liberals to fight poverty

HALIFAX -- A substantial increase in the federal child tax benefit and a bigger international assistance budget are emerging as key conditions of further NDP support for Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government.

Some people just never learn. Of course, this is just the Jack Pack 'making parliament' work.

Smoke and mirrors.