The federal Conservatives have signalled that the days of spending the country out of recession are about to end.
The government’s throne speech Wednesday lays out plans to spend the 19 billion dollars left in the Tory Economic Action Plan by end of March next year.
After that, the tap will be turned off.
In the meantime, as a largely symbolic measure, the salaries of members of Parliament, senators and the prime minister will be frozen.
The budgets of ministers offices and government departments will also be limited.
Bruce Grey Owen Sound MP Larry Miller says the Throne speech is setting the tone for the government’s agenda, and that is “spending has to be restrained.”
Miller says more detail will come down Thursday in the budget speech.
The local Conservative MP says freezing their salaries is simply setting an example, and he hopes the public sector will agree to a wage freeze to help the government get it’s budget balanced.
Ottawa is looking at a 56 billion dollar deficit, but Miller says there is plenty of fat in government that could be cut without affecting old age pension or health care funding.
MP Larry Miller says stimulus spending will end within a year, and he doubts the Harper government will reverse that decision.