OTTAWA – Thirty-three million dollars that was once part of the Canadian Heritage Ministry’s budget yesterday is no longer there today.
While on the face of it, the budget cuts the ministry will face does not directly affect the TV, film, and related industries (funding of $6.5 million for the Centre for Research and Information on Canada was cut and $4.6 million of assistance to museums was eliminated, for example) and it was just part of a larger, billion-dollar budget trim across all ministries.
The "new expenditure management system" was announced late Monday by Jim Flaherty, minister of finance and John Baird, president of the Treasury Board.
"Canada’s New Government has eliminated wasteful and ineffective programs, reduced government spending and paid down the national debt," said the press release, which also announced a substantial federal government budget surplus of which $13.2 billion will go towards paying down debt.
"We are trimming the fat and refocusing spending on the priorities of Canadians," said Minister Baird. "Our government is also keeping its promise to families and taxpayers by reducing the national debt."
Minister Flaherty explained that this debt reduction is the result of strong revenue growth, reflecting the strength of the economy, and lower-than-expected program expenses.
"In fact, this is the first time in nine years that program spending has actually declined," said Minister Flaherty, in the release.
For more detailed information on where the cuts were made, click here.
