Federal Budget: The government will provide $250 million a year starting in 2007-08 for new child-care spaces
19 Mar 07
CBC

The Bloc Québécois vowed to support the federal Conservative government's new budget Monday, which should give enough support to ensure its passage and prevent an election.

“Liberals, NDP won't back budget"

Moments after Flaherty began his address to the Commons, the opposition Liberals and NDP said they would not support the budget.

"It's a bad budget," Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion told CBC News. Dion cited what he called the plan's failure to address needs for families, health care, childcare and students. "I've never seen a government do so little with so much and that's why we can't support such a budget."

"If this budget stands, what will happen is the prosperity gap will continue to widen," NDP Leader Jack Layton told CBC News outside the House of Commons following Flaherty's presentation.

But it appears the move is not enough to trigger an election, as the Bloc Québécois indicated it would back the Tories' fiscal plan.

The government is still free to ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election.