Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post, March 21 2013

While Ottawa agreed in Budget 2013 to extend tax breaks for manufacturers for two years, a request by developers of liquefied natural gas terminals on Canada’s West Coast to receive similar tax savings fell on deaf ears.

Matt Horne, Pembina Institute, Feb 19 2013

I spent today in the B.C. budget lockup, and yes, it was as inspiring and exciting as I’m sure you can imagine a budget lockup would be. One of the things I was interested in was the outcome of the province’s carbon tax review, which was announced in last year’s budget.

Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun, Feb 19, 2013

“How is the government balancing the budget? Is it credible? And will it withstand scrutiny?”Those are indeed the right questions to be asking about the B.C. Liberal government’s 2013 budget and fiscal plan. Things begin to go off course for de Jong and his colleagues once one gets to the answers.

Justine Hunter, Globe and Mail, Feb. 19 2013

Victoria — B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong has resorted to corporate and personal income taxes hikes for the first time in his party’s 12 year reign, on the eve of an election that threatens to unseat the B.C. Liberal government.

Brian Hutchinson, National Post, Feb 19 2013

VANCOUVER — B.C.’s Liberal government says it can make good on its promise to deliver surplus budgets this year and beyond, by hiking corporate and personal income taxes, selling off unused real estate and ratcheting down planned spending increases, ambitious measures described in a pre-election budget program that provincial finance minister Mike de Jong calls “plausible and achievable.”

Calvin Sandborn, Vancouver Sun, June 5, 2012

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. — Winston Churchill

Canadians should worry about Bill C-38 — Ottawa’s bid to gut the Environmental Assessment Act.

Doug Ward, Peter O'Neil, Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, May 29, 2012

The federal government is sabotaging its own legislated requirement to protect endangered freshwater fish by weakening the Fisheries Act, four former federal fisheries ministers from B.C. and Canadian scientists say in separate letters to the Harper government.

By Elizabeth May, The Tyee.ca, May 10, 2012

Packing so many attacks on nature into one bill, Harper bets, will confuse citizens. Here's what's at stake.

West Coast Environmental Law, April 27, 2012

Removal of environmental safeguards serves interests of big oil and silences citizens, say environmental lawyers

By Peter O'Neil, Vancouver Sun, Postmedia News, April 27, 2012

Critics say protection for fish habitat 'eliminated' in bill to appease businesses

Budget, Government of Canada, March 29, 2012

"The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today tabled Economic Action Plan 2012, a comprehensive agenda to bolster Canada's long-term economic strengths and promote jobs"

Main budget portal
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2012/home-accueil-eng.html

Backgrounder - Responsible Resource Development

Backgrounder - Supporting Entrepreneurs, Innovators and World-Class Research

Chapter 3.2: Improving Conditions for Business Investment
The first half of this chapter contains the substance of the government's intentions with major resource and energy projects and environmental assessments.

Press release, Equiterre, March 29, 2012

Ottawa - The budget 2012 presented today by the Harper Government represents a serious set-back for environmental protection and the right of Canadians to a safe future for our shared environment.

Media Release, Sierra Club of Canada, March 29, 2012

OTTAWA- Canadians are less able to protect our water, air and land because of changes to enviornmental law outlined in today’s federal budget.

The key change, essentially speeding up environmental reviews of mega-projects, will greatly hurt the public's ability to participate in future processes.

Keith Stewart, Greenpeace Canada, March 29, 2012

Big oil is the big winner in today’s federal budget. As expected, the Harper government announced that it will dismantle environmental laws that help protect our forests, air, water and wildlife from uncontrolled industrial activity like tar sands mines and pipelines. Adding insult to injury, but also expected, are the budget cuts to key ministries that will reduce their capacity to enforce the environmental laws that still exist.

Media Release, Environmental Defense, March 29, 2012

The plan to weaken one of Canada's foremost environmental laws outlined in today’s budget is nothing more than a gift to Big Oil.

Media Release, Green Party of Canada, 29 March 2012

OTTAWA - The Harper Conservatives have followed through on threats to erode environmental protection and grease the wheels for greater fossil fuel development.

News Release, West Coast Environmental Law, March 29, 2012

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (March 29, 2012) - Jessica Clogg, Executive Director and Senior Counsel at the West Coast Environmental Law Association issued the following statement in response to today’s budget, which included rollbacks of long-standing legal protections for the environment.

By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News February 29, 2012

$90.3 million will focus on policy, publicity

By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun, February 22, 2012

Ramp-up to LNG production, increased overall demand is bullish for government revenue

The British Columbia government is anticipating a substantial recovery of natural gas royalty revenues over the next three years.

Mark Hume, Globe and Mail, Mar. 03, 2010

Subsidies to oil and gas industry negates clean-energy initiatives, argue environmentalists

DAVID EBNER, Globe and Mail, Mar. 03, 2010

Province predicts three more years of deficits as Horn River and Montney fields' cash output undermined by lower gas prices

It's an equation that's written in red ink: Less revenue from more gas.

The BC government introduced its 2010/2011 budget on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Revenues $39.2 billion; Expenses $40.6b; Deficit $1.7b