HAMILTON -- Tom Mulcair says he does not foresee an NDP government going into deficit to finance his promises, insisting he would bring in a balanced budget next year.
He says he knows he will be able to deliver a balanced budget because his priorities are different than those of Stephen Harper, whom he blames for manufacturing job losses and a less diversified economy.
The parliamentary budget office released an analysis last month based on downgraded Bank of Canada projections that showed Ottawa is headed for a $1-billion shortfall in 2015-16, despite the long-standing Conservative promise to balance the books.
Mulcair was in Hamilton today, touting his plan to cut the small business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent, which he says would be fully implemented in the first two years of an NDP government.
The NDP leader has said he will raise taxes for larger corporations, but he has been adamant that he won't increase other taxes or impose a wealth tax.
Though Mulcair says his first budget as prime minister would be a balanced one, he has not yet released the full costing details of his platform.
