What to expect on Budget Day
A good-news fiscal map and short timeline will make Oppo reaction tricky
ABOVE THE FOLD
— BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE: Happy Budget Day eve — and, unofficially, the eve of campaign kick-off in Ontario.
While the election campaign doesn’t legally start until Wednesday May 4, a senior government official confirmed to us what Global News scooped yesterday — that the House is set to rise right after the PCs table the spring budget.
Why it matters: For the procedural nerds out there, that effectively means Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY’s fiscal map will stand as the Tories re-election platform, as the government won’t be able to enshrine it in law unless they win a second mandate from voters on June 2.
The House isn’t slated to reconvene until September 12 — but MPPs could sit briefly in the summer after E-Day in order to approve the government’s budget policy.
For the Opposition parties, that means Thursday morning’s Question Period will be their last chance to grill the Tories on their policies ahead of the campaign.
Setting the stage: It’s expe…