The budget says some good things about productivity and growth but in the end Ottawa continues to decide what's favoured and what's not

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Only three hours into Ottawa’s budget lock-up and I’d already read so much about catalyzing, super-charging, launching, leveraging and empowering that I felt the need of a nap. And I was only 150 pages into the 406-page document. Maybe we should have a rule that the minister of finance has to read the entire budget into the parliamentary record. That would “incentivize” him or her, as they say in Ottawa, to keep it short.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Speaking of incentives, at one stage the budget seems to claim that cutting bridge and ferry tolls in P.E.I. led to a 25 per cent increase in traffic. Yes, minister, people do respond to prices. Imagine what serious tax cuts could do for economic growth.

This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.

Only by driving across Canada do you get a sense of how big this country really is. By day three, you feel it in your backside. In the same way, only by ploughing your way through a federal budget do you get a sense of how big and sprawling, not to mention vacuous and unfocused, this country’s federal government is.

Canada Strong is the budget’s title and theme. No surprise there. It was also the Liberal campaign theme. And it’s better than Canada Broke, though that might be truer. Debt doesn’t fall as a percentage of GDP until five years from now, and under some economic scenarios it doesn’t fall at all.

The cover photo is of a red-and-white Canadian icebreaker — FedNav’s