PCs quietly seek to delay budget until advantageous date

Premier Doug Ford's government tabled a bill Tuesday to give itself leeway around when it tables its upcoming budget — a move multiple sources recently told QP Briefing that the Progressive Conservatives may use for political gain.

Buried within the Progressive Conservatives' (PC) latest "red tape reduction" bill, which cabinet minister Nina Tangri tabled on Ontario MPPs' first sitting day of the year, is a provision allowing the government to release the budget later than the deadline it set for itself a few years ago.

In its 2019 budget bill, Ford's government created laws requiring future Ontario governments to table the annual budget before March ends. If the government doesn't do this, the premier and finance minister would have to pay a fine equal to 10 per cent of their salaries — totalling more than $20,000 and $15,000, respectively.

The bill tabled by Tangri, whose official title is associate minister of small business and red tape reduction, would grant the government a one-time exception to the deadline this year. In the case of the upcoming budget, the government would have until the end of April, an extra month, to table it.

At the bottom of the press release announcing that Tangri tabled the bill, the government said it's seeking to extend when it can release the budget free-of-penalty so it can do so "at a time when it can better assess the effects of reopening of the economy and introduce a plan for recovery."

But sources that QP Briefing spoke to described the government’s motivations much differently.

Two sources, independently of each other, said they were aware the government was exploring a later budget date. Both explained the choice as politically driven: tabling the budget closer to the election would make it fresher in voters’ minds, and more like an election platform.

Two other sources said they were aware of discussions by the government as early as before Christmas about the possibility of delaying the budget’s release.

Another source, who said they were unaware of any concrete plans by the government to delay the budget, said they felt there were clear advantages to its postponement. This source pointed out that not only would the budget be more recollectable for voters if it were released later, but the government would likely be able to rely on stronger private sector projections for economic growth because Ontario would be further into its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This source also suggested the government may intentionally not pass the budget, or call an election early, so it could use the budget as its official platform.

Some documents sent out for pre-budget consultations noted the current March 31 deadline for the budget.

The finance minister’s spokesperson also told QP Briefing last week that the government hadn’t yet decided when it would be tabling the budget.

The Ontario election is scheduled to be held on June 2, though the premier could call it early.