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The Week with Mark Sutcliffe
March 24, 2013
This Sunday, Mark welcomes: • Mia Rabson, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Winnipeg Free Press • Peter O’Neil, Ottawa Correspondent for The Vancouver Sun Viewers are also invited to share their thoughts about the week’s political stories: AUSTERITY BUDGET The Finance Minister's “stay-the-course” budget this week prompted mixed reaction. Jim Flaherty is attempting to slash the deficit without raising taxes. At the same time the government is taking on tax loopholes and tax cheats. And there will be a new grant for skills training and a renewal of infrastructure spending. Did the budget strike the right balance? Will the training measures solve the skills gap? GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE? Opposition—and even some Conservative MPs—criticised the Minister of Finance for interfering with the free market. Jim Flaherty instructed Manulife Financial to raise its advertized mortgage rate. It complied. Was Flaherty wrong to intervene in the market and discourage a rate cut for consumers? PENASHUE POLITICS Questions continue to fly over illegal contributions made to former Labrador MP Peter Penashue's election campaign. He plans to run again. Should the issues related to his last campaign be resolved before the by-election is set? LIBERAL LEADERSHIP UPDATE Another candidate, David Bertschi, withdrew from the Liberal Leadership race just two days before this weekend's debate. Meanwhile, when questioned if he could beat Stephen Harper in the next election, Justin Trudeau repeated his father's famous words, "just watch me." Could Trudeau beat Harper in the next election?