View source for 2001 Canadian federal budget

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox Government Budget
| title = Budget of the Canadian Federal Government
| year = 2001
| country = Canada
| previous_budget = 2000 Canadian federal budget
| previous_year = 2000
| next_budget = 2003 Canadian federal budget
| next_year = 2003
| image = File:2001_Canadian_Federal_Budget_logo.gif
| imagesize = 250
| caption = 
| presented = 10 December 2001
| passed = 
| parliament = [[37th Canadian Parliament|37th]] 
| party = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
| minister = [[Paul Martin]]
| Total_Revenue = 190.570 billion<ref name=":CBCgraph">{{cite web|title=Canada's deficits and surpluses, 1963-2014|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/canada-deficit/|website=CBC News|publisher=CBC/Radio-Canada|accessdate=25 April 2015}}</ref>
| Total_Expenditures =183.949 billion<ref name=":CBCgraph" />
| spending = 
| tax_cut = 
| debt_payment = 
| surplus = [[Canadian dollar|C]]$6.621 billion<ref name=":CBCgraph" />
| debt = 
| bill = 
| bill_link = 
| url = 
}}

The '''Canadian federal budget''' for the fiscal year 2001–02 was presented by [[Canadian Minister of Finance|Minister of Finance]] [[Paul Martin]] in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] on December 10, 2001.  It was known as the "Security Budget" for its focus on security after the [[September 11 attacks]] in the United States.

This was the last budget presented by Paul Martin as Minister of Finance. It was marked by the poor Canadian economy of the previous year that saw very slow growth.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pulvérisée, la marge de manœuvre|last=Piché|first=Claude|date=December 11, 2001|work=[[La Presse (Canadian newspaper)|La Presse]]|page=A1|language=FR}}</ref> In order to keep the budget balanced, Martin proposed only limited new spending. The largest outlay was $7.7 billion over five years to improve security.

== Background ==
This budget was unusually presented in December 2001, as federal budgets are normally released in February or March. However, the [[2000 Canadian federal election|election in November 2000]] had been preceded by a detailed "budget update" for which covered most of the fiscal year 2001-2002.

The November 2000 [[Speech from the throne]] had announced it would attempt to improve the living conditions of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|indigenous communities]], and so the 2001 budget was expected to include large investments in these communities. However, the [[September 11 attacks]] cause the government's priorities to change toward national security, which was reflected in the budget.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Les autochtones attendrons|last=Toupin|first=Gilles|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=D1|language=FR}}</ref>

== Key elements ==
The main elements of this budget are linked to national security. An additional $1.2 billion was allocated to the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]]. The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] also received budget increases, and sums were also allocated to expand the screening of migrants coming to Canada.<ref name=":FM">{{Cite news|title=Faits Marquants|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=A4|language=FR}}</ref>

The Budget also allocated funds for greater airport security, including the instauration of [[sky marshal|sky Marshals]] for selected flights. The creation of a new agency responsible for airport protection and passenger safety was announced. This agency would become the [[Canadian Air Transport Security Authority]], and would be funded by a special tax on air travel.<ref name=":FM" />

646 million dollars was also announced for reinforce border security, including $58 million to enhance the [[NEXUS|NEXUS program]], $107 million to purchase better bomb detection equipment, $135 million to increase government agencies' presence at the border, and $67 million to invest in new technologies for border agents in airports and border crossings.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Des mesures concrètes|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=A4|language=FR}}</ref>

The Budget allocated $2 billion for the creation of the ''Strategic Infrastructure Fund''. It was announced that an independent committee would review grant applications for this fund.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|title=Les maires se réjouissent|last=Trottier|first=Éric|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=E1|language=FR}}</ref> 236 million dollars was allocated to the maintenance of veterans' hospitals, and the budget for ecological municipal projects was increased from 125 million to 250 million dollars.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Trois milliard de plus pour les infrastructures|last=Cousineau|first=Sophie|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=A5|language=FR}}</ref>

== Reactions ==

=== Opposition parties ===
The [[Bloc Québécois]] and the [[New Democratic Party]] did not criticize the increase in security spendings, considering these sums necessary. They, however, criticize the lack of spending in Social Security, and the low level of investment in economic development.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=Aucunes mesures pour relancer l'économie|last=Rodrigue|first=Isabelle|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=A4|language=FR}}</ref>

The [[Canadian Alliance]], on the other hand, critiqued the lack of tax cuts in the budget, something they considered was needed to boost the economy. The Canadian Alliance also stated that the budget did not spend enough on security, when compared to the other [[NATO]] countries' response to the [[September 11 attacks]]. [[Stockwell Day]] also came out against the increases in the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] budget, [[Foreign Aid]], and cultural fundings.<ref name=":2" />

[[Joe Clark]], leader of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|PC]]-[[Democratic Representative Caucus|DR]] coalition, criticized the lack of a long-term vision in the budget, considering it sacrificed the country's long-term prosperity while doing very little to increase national security.<ref name=":2" />

=== Municipalities ===
[[Yves Ducharme]], mayor of [[Hull, Quebec|Hull]] and vice-president of the [[Federation of Canadian Municipalities]], expressed support for the Strategic Infrastructure Fund, but made known he was disappointed by the lack of funds for public transportation in the budget. [[Montreal]] mayor [[Gérald Tremblay]] and [[Laval, Quebec|Laval]] mayor [[Gilles Vaillancourt]] both expressed support for the budget and the Strategic Infrastructure Fund as well.<ref name=":1" />

=== Provinces ===
Most provinces lamented the lack of increase in health transfers, as the premiers had called for in their last conference in August 2001. [[Alberta]] and [[Ontario]] claimed that without these transfers, they would be forced to [[privatise]] some hospital services traditionally part of [[Medicare (Canada)|Medicare]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pas plus de transfert en Santé|last=Bellavance|first=Joël-Denis|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|page=A7|language=FR}}</ref> Ontario premier [[Mike Harris]] claimed that, without these health transfers, the federal government forces 8 provinces to run a deficit in their next budget. [[Manitoba]] premier [[Gary Doer]] said that the government's decision to prioritize security over health care was error of judgment.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Harris accuse Ottawa d'acculer les provinces au déficit|date=December 11, 2001|work=La Presse|publisher=La Presse Canadienne|page=A14|language=FR}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://fin.gc.ca/toc/2001/budlist01_-eng.asp 2001 Budget Archived]

{{Canada federal budget}}
{{Jean Chrétien}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian federal budget, 2001}}
[[Category:Canadian budgets|2001]]
[[Category:2001 government budgets|Canada]]
[[Category:2001 in Canadian politics]]
[[Category:37th Canadian Parliament|Budget, 2001]]
[[Category:Premiership of Jean Chrétien|Budget, 2001]]
[[Category:Paul Martin|Budget, 2001]]
[[Category:December 2001 in Canada]]