As the federal government prepares to create Budget 2008, we hope you will share your ideas on how Canada’s fiscal policy should be developed.

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, is asking Canadians where their priorities lie in the upcoming federal budget. This Internet consultation is not a poll. The minister is seeking a single entry from Canadians who would like to provide input.

You will be asked to rate seven policy areas according to priority and provide comments on the policy areas up to 50 words each. In order to be considered in the budget process, submissions should be made no later than 11 p.m. Saskatchewan time on February 11.

Last year, nearly 8,000 Canadians participated in the online consultation process. The government was delighted to receive a wide range of responses on everything from debt reduction to restoring fiscal balance.

This year, the finance minister is taking a different approach to pre-budget consultations. The government’s economic fundamentals are solid and we need to focus on the various risks and challenges. These include the impact of an economic slowdown in the United States, ongoing turmoil in financial markets, the continuing need to adjust to a higher Canadian dollar, increasing global competition, and the aging of the Canadian population.

The finance minister is soliciting public input for the following themes:

1. What steps should the government take in Budget 2008 (and beyond) to prepare Canada for the implications of an aging population?
2. Should the government implement broad-based policies that will help all sectors of the economy to succeed, or should it focus on developing policies to assist specific industries facing special challenges?
3. In what areas should the government focus its resources in Budget 2008 (and beyond)? If resources need to be redirected from other areas, what areas should these be?
4. What steps should the government take in Budget 2008 (and beyond) to ensure that the Canadian economy remains internationally competitive to attract investment and create high value-added jobs?
5. What tax and other measures should the government take to ensure that Canada keeps its best and brightest, attracts highly skilled immigrants, encourages as many people as possible to enter the workforce, and rewards Canadians for their hard work, while respecting the government's fiscal goals?

The pre-budget consultation page on the Department of Finance web site can be found by following the hotlinks at www.fin.gc.ca. While you’re there, you might wish to check out the hotlink to Canada - an Economic Snapshot for a brief overview of Canada’s current economic situation, and Where Your Tax Dollar Goes, which provides information on federal spending and revenue collection.

Your ideas are important to us – this pre-budget consultation can help us help you.

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