Trading places: Liberals get cosy with deficit spending, NDP talks about balancing books
Posted August 28, 2015 7:07 am.
Last Updated August 28, 2015 7:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Some pundits say the federal election campaign has turned into “Freaky Friday,” as a couple of parties switch their traditional stereotypes.
The Liberals are pushing for three years of deficits to kick-start the stalled economy, while the NDP is promising to balance the books.
Traditionally, the NDP is seen as the party that’s open to deficit spending and out of the two, the Liberals are perceived as the book balancers.
Aaron Wherry, associate editor with Maclean’s Magazine, says the switcheroo isn’t necessarily a bad thing for either party.
“The NDP is probably smart to say they want to run a balanced budget. And for the Liberals, if they want to set themselves apart and want to kind of create a wedge issue here, then they’ll come out and say they want to make major investments.”
But Wherry adds the Liberal strategy is make-or-break. “Either it sets you apart in a good way or it sets you apart in a terrible way… The public can either go ‘Okay, that makes sense.’ Or it can blow up and [Justin Trudeau] can look irresponsible.”
On the other hand, this could also turn the tables on the Liberals’ opponents.
“If the Conservatives and the NDP say they’re going to balance the budget, what are they going to cut? How will we get back to balance?”
