The fine print

Following up on my posts this weekend, Paul Wells points out a couple more examples of significant legislative changes which the Cons are looking to force through in the Con/Lib budget:

• Competition law. “The last profound reform of this law was more than 20 years ago and resulted from years of consultation,” Manon writes. “The government’s current project is nearly as substantial. The amendments cover 31 pages and are highly complex. The fact that they will be adopted without real study frustrates those who have been suggesting changes for years, like the Liberal MP Dan McTeague.”
...
• Foreign investment: a new, high and rising threshold for investment review, with government given a veto over acquisitions in cases of “national security.”

Now, it should be obvious that there's absolutely no need to tie such fundamental changes to any stimulus package. But it'll take a strong stand from the Libs to keep them from ramming these changes through. And since we've seen no sign of that to date, it's looking all too likely that much of Harper's economic agenda will end up being pushed through thanks to the Libs' continued ineffectiveness.