Balanced Budget and Harper Government Surplus

question marks: So, then when oil prices started to plummet, then a few big question marks started to cloud the otherwise rosy picture." Only about six months ago, the Harper government surplus kitty for budget day goodies in the 2015-16 fiscal plan was said to have swelled to $6.5 billion, Kelly said, according to Hamilton Spectator. Cabinet ministers who had waited years for a balanced budget were salivating at the thought of being able to spend money for once. But following a long winter, the head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is approaching Tuesday election-year budget with his hopes somewhat in check. "Things were trucking on really well, we were certainly thinking very positively about some of our requests — some of our tax-reduction requests in particular," Kelly said. "But then, of course, that was before Christmas. By October, however, everything started to change. Then, the weeks that followed brought the deep, unexpected plunge in world oil prices, a crash Ottawa has predicted will indirectly chew billions of dollars from its bottom line. First, the Conservatives unveiled their long-promised family tax-and-benefit package, a grab bag of measures expected to carve $4.6 billion in revenue out of public coffers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.