The anti-industry NDP
Budget hangover
CBC cries poor
Official Opposition House Leader, Nathan Cullen, discussed NDP priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, April 23, 2012.
Credits: CHRIS ROUSSAKIS/QMI AGENCY
OTTAWA - The NDP is set to ask Parliament to split the government's budget bill so the party can put it under the microscope.
NDP House leader Nathan Cullen says there are far too many legislative reforms rolled into the bill, which is more than 400 pages long.
"The whole bill is inappropriate," Cullen said.
The reforms include increasing the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and streamlining environmental reviews for resource development projects.
The NDP believes the Commons environment committee, not the finance committee, should study proposed changes to the environmental assessment process.
"We want to make sure we have informed decisions," NDP finance critic Peggy Nash said. "We need to examine this more fully."
If the government doesn't accept the NDP's proposal to sever the bill into different parts, the Opposition hasn't ruled out other tactics such as filibusters.
"We are suggesting to the government to do the right thing," Cullen said.
"Most of these measures are non-budgetary."
