CALGARY- Alberta’s finance minister has acknowledged that while Thursday’s budget unveiling left many scratching their heads, the tough cuts had to be made.
Doug Horner spoke at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Friday, and admits many people are still unclear about exactly how much the province is in the red.
Depending on the numbers or who you talk to, the deficit ranges from less than $500 million, to a staggering $6 billion. Horner says it’s closer to $2 billion.
“Everybody can define deficit their own way. I’m defining it the way public sector accountants would define it, and that is the change in the net financial asset,” he explains.
At Mount Royal University, which faces a 6.8 per cent funding cut, even the experts weren’t clear on the numbers.
“I’m sitting there working with a bunch of really smart people, and they’re really struggling to understand the implications of the budget,” says political analyst Duane Bratt. “And the minister can’t say it in one sentence.”
He’s concerned about the move to cut funding to schools, province-wide.
“Alberta already has the lowest post-secondary enrollment in the country. This is only going to reduce access.”
The province maintains students won’t be affected by the cuts, though it remains to be seen how that will be accomplished.
With files from Reid Fiest
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