It's amazing that some seem to honestly believe that this is the result of an "autumn accounting" rather than an attempt to make up for a decade of neglect just in time for an inevitable election. The mini-budget is a predictable combination of policies co-opted from across the spectrum, with ample room to criticize the corporate tax measures as unnecessary.
As for the more worthwhile portions, there are still important questions to be answered. For example, did it really take the Libs 11 years (and an NDP-negotiated budget last year) to figure out that the cost of university education is a barrier to entry? Did they manage to rule for a decade before noticing that the lack of resources to support new immigrants is a problem in need of attention?
(And why do I have a nagging feeling that the answer is "yes" to both of the above?)
Of course, there's a more important question underlying the whole process. Namely, will the Canadian public have a short enough attention span to give the Liberals credit for ignoring such important issues in the past? We don't know the answer to that one yet, but the success of the NDP's election campaign will depend on the public's conclusion.
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