This is Vanese Ferguson with Coffee Talk. I’m going to talk federal budget but I’m going to try and keep it to a minimum. The three things that really lept out at me -and there were many – was a deficit of 62.3 billion dollars with no plans to balance the budget in the forseeable future. Secondly – this is an understatement – the lofty goal of eliminating homelessness in a decade came across as unrealistic and frankly makes me wonder if the federal government believes it has other worldly powers aside from throwing gobs of money at the problem. And speaking of gobs of money, we all get to pay for this. One way or another we are headed for a period of significant taxation. It’s unavoidable because at some point, I would hope, if not with this administration, but whomever’s future lies in occupying the House of Commons, fiscal responsibility will prevail. But belt tightening is never fun. For anyone. Look at the agriculture research that is being wiped out in the country – considered expendable I guess when in fact it is that research that has taken Saskatchewan for instance to being one of the biggest exporters of peas and lentils in the world. I am absolutely breathless over this budget and not in a good way