The Tories say they will now support the February 23 budget (Bill C-43) when it comes to a vote, but oppose the Buzz Hargrove budget (Bill C-48). This, in keeping with the moderate, mainstream approach urged on them by, among others, Belinda Stronach. Readers will know what I thought of the Feb. 23 budget, now sanctified as the budget-no-reasonable-person-could-oppose. Of greater interest, perhaps, is what the Globe said of it, in one of its lucid moments...

The Prime Minister opens the floodgates Thursday, February 24, 2005 When Paul Martin was Finance Minister, his critics used to call him a pro-business, budget-slashing, conservative Liberal. Yesterday, the real Paul Martin stood up. In the federal budget tabled by Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, Mr. Martin put aside his tightwad days and sprayed money around the country like a broken garden hose. Ottawa will increase spending by a staggering $41.8-billion over six years, distributing it to every interest group, region and political constituency from the Avalon Peninsula to Long Beach. Gone is the old commitment to devote one-third of spending to programs, one-third to tax cuts and one-third to debt reduction. Instead, for every $2 of spending in his plan, Mr. Goodale is offering only $1 in tax reduction. Ottawa will devote almost all its resources to programs -- lots of programs. Aboriginals get $735-million, culture and sport $688-million, low-income seniors $2.7-billion. There is even $25-million to help ethnic groups become more aware of the way they were oppressed by Ottawa over the years. And of course there is stuff for the people Mr. Martin really cares about these days: the opposition parties that keep his minority government afloat. For NDP Leader Jack Layton, there is $5-billion for a daycare program that as yet has no focus, clear rationale or implementation strategy and $3-billion for environmental initiatives. For Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, there is sharply increased defence spending and modest corporate tax cuts. The vehicle for this artful legerdemain is a five-year plan in which a large chunk of the heavy spending comes up front and the full impact of promised tax cuts comes down the road. The obvious aim is to buy the acquiescence of the political opposition now while accumulating enough revenue to shower on voters later. And it's working. The first minority federal budget in a quarter-century is already a resounding success, judging from the muted response on both the political right and left, and from the first reactions of the talking television heads. Mr. Harper was bizarrely passive in his reaction to this something-for-everyone, big-spending, old-time Liberal budget, saying right off the bat that he wouldn't bring down the government over it and thought most of it was pretty swell. It doesn't seem to bother him that the budget is missing any coherent themes, any indication that Mr. Martin's government has a clear set of priorities beyond doing what is necessary to stay in power. Mr. Goodale has produced a remarkable porridge of spending spread over vast areas that puts paid to the notion that Paul Martin is a conservative by nature and political instinct. The spending commitments in this budget are destined to absorb all the projected surpluses during the five-year life of the plan. Debt reduction will come only from anything left over in the contingency fund. That, too, is a radical departure for Mr. Martin, who previously eschewed long-term budgets because it is so difficult to produce accurate calculations of revenues and costs so far in advance. It's a prescient politician who can essentially deliver a budget for fiscal 2009 that is confidently based on the government's ability to deliver a stream of budget surpluses for the entire period forecast. That said, the budget does preserve a core of fiscal responsibility. For all the new spending commitments, Mr. Goodale has once again delivered a balanced budget, with promises of more of the same in subsequent years. The government also deserves praise for its commitment to greater defence spending. Although more needs to be done, the $12.8-billion in new money spread over five years will enable Canada to field 5,000 more troops and 3,000 more reserves and to upgrade equipment. Another positive move is the unexpected elimination of the ceiling on foreign content in Canadians' RRSP portfolios and pension plans. These limits were antiquated and should have been gone years ago. The increase in RRSP contribution limits to $22,000 a person is also welcome, as is the decision to boost the basic tax exemption to $10,000 by 2009, a measure that should remove 860,000 low-income people from the tax rolls. In the end, though, this is an unfocused, undisciplined and disappointing budget. Its flaws are Mr. Martin's. This is a prime minister who has a hard time saying no to anyone (see missile defence, below). Instead, in this budget, he has said yes to everyone with any clout who has knocked on his door over the past year. That's not leadership.