Conservative fiscal plan fully costed, fully budgeted, fully balanced

January 8, 2006

Spending and tax plan independently verified by the Conference Board of Canada

OTTAWA – The Conservative Party of Canada today released a letter from the Conference Board of Canada (attached) showing that the Conservative platform is fully affordable in each year from 2005 through 2011.

“In summary,” wrote Paul Darby, Deputy Chief Economist of the CBoC, “we found that the Conservative Party’s economic platform is affordable in each fiscal year from 2005-2006 through 2010-2011. In each year there is enough fiscal room to pay down at least $3 billion a year in debt, as in the [government’s] fiscal plan.”

The Conference Board also found that there is substantial surplus in the Conservative fiscal plan: “Over the five-year forecast horizon to 2010-2011, the CBoC economic and fiscal outlook suggests that there remains $15.7 billion in unallocated fiscal room, over and above the annual debt payment, which provides further cushion to ensure that deficits do not occur due to adverse economic effects.”

The Conference Board was given access to the entire Conservative platform in order to conduct its analysis. The Conservative party will release its whole platform and supporting fiscal framework later this week.

“The Conservative plan includes balanced budgets, annual debt repayment, and a package of tax reductions far more generous than that offered by any other party,” said Monte Solberg, the Conservative Party’s Finance Critic.

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