In the end all CARP members got from this budget are some nice words and the promise of more consultation. The Government committed to undertake public consultations on the government-supported retirement income system before May. This commitment was made in the Throne Speech which also addressed the upcoming challenge of meeting the needs of an aging population but the issue was not addressed through National Caregiver Support or National Home Care programs in the budget.

The following chart outlines the measures that CARP members wished to see in the budget, predicted would be in the budget as well as the extent to which they were included in the Throne Speech and Budget Speeches.

	Should Be a Priority	Will Be a Priority	Throne Speech Indicates it Will be a Priority	Budget Indicates it Will be a Priority
Fundamental, comprehensive pension reform	36%	6%	Maybe	No
Continued prudent economic stewardship	23%	46%	Yes	Maybe
National prescription drug plan/PharmaCare	13%	1%	No	No
End to prorogation of Parliament	9%	2%	No	No
National home care/caregiver program	8%	1%	No	No
Ending mandatory retirement	4%	11%	No	No
Cap and trade carbon reduction plan	2%	6%	No	No

Keywords: budget