Might not balance budget before election: Sorbara
Last Updated Mar 23 2005 03:10 PM EST
CBC News

Greg Sorbara's admission comes just days after a projected deficit of $2.2 billion for this year was revised up to $6 billion after the provincial auditor general rejected a controversial accounting strategy.

If the deficit is not eliminated by 2007, it will mark another broken promise for the Liberals.

Critics have hammered the government for backing away from campaign pledges to freeze taxes and to balance the province's books during its first full year in office.

The Liberals reversed the balanced-budget promise and imposed a new health-care tax after an audit revealed that they had inherited a $5.6 billion deficit from the previous Tory government.

However, Sorbara then said his government would have the province back in the black before a provincial election scheduled for 2007.

On Wednesday, the finance minister signalled that he might be reconsidering that promise, too.

"We set out a deficit reduction plan in the last budget," Sorbara told reporters. "We're going to revisit that in the next budget."

The government is facing increased demands for education and health-care spending.

At the same time, an economic forecast released Tuesday suggested that lower than expected economic growth in the province this year could lead to lower revenues for Queen's Park.

As he has in the past, Sorbara once again blamed the Conservatives for his own government's inability to keep its election promises.

"Over the course of time, we are going to get this province out of the financial mess we inherited," he said.

"They left a hell of a mess."

Sorbara is expected to deliver the province's next budget in May.