As different sides High-income Canadians and businesses have of the political spectrum present their cases, the been richly rewarded for their sacrifices in the government appears content, in the words of fight against the deficit with the program of the C. D. Howe Institute, to "let the debate be- $100 billion in tax cuts that was introduced in gin." 2000. [...] The chapters of the ing for health care to the provinces with an in- 2005 AFB are dedicated to outlining priorities crease of almost $10 billion over the next three in a range of social programs and infrastruc- years, the Canada Social Transfer remains the 6. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Alternative Federal Budget 2005: It's Time poor cousin of the Canada Health Transfer. [...] The following provides a summary Canada's local governments that ultimately suf- of the key measures needed to eliminate pov- fered the major brunt of federal and provincial erty in Canada and a summary of the main downloading, as is shown in the chapter on Fed- measures in the different chapters of the AFB. [...] The sponsibilities from the federal to the provincial AFB will build on the great generosity shown to the municipal level without the accompany- by Canadians in responding to the tsunami dis- ing funds, crumbling infrastructure, and accel- aster by increasing development assistance by erating inequality between individuals, commu- 12%-15% per year in order to reach the goal of nities and provinces [...] Reductions in federal government departed from the pledge employment insurance benefits and the elimi- of 50/50 cost-sharing in the late 1970s and early nation of the Canada Assistance Plan have 1980s, but it was forced into sharp relief by the shifted the burden of dealing with unemploy- substantial cuts in Ottawa's share of funding ment and poverty away from the federal gov- imposed in the 1995.