The great gender-based budget has landed, and aside from the gender aspects, consensus seems to be that it’s not terribly ambitious – but that’s not suprising for a budget that is a year out from an election year. And it does help Bill Morneau list off a few more promises fulfilled amidst modest spending, which has been tempered by the economic uncertainty on the horizon. Debt-to-GDP and the deficit continue to fall, but there are concerns that the revenue projections may be a bit too rosy.

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/968613421821259776

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/968614432015183872

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/968616462456729600

In more specifics, here is a look at how it delivered on the gender front, including pay equity and paternity leave, and even more money for the RCMP to properly investigate sexual assault claims that were deemed “unfounded.” There is more money for Indigenous communities, and more for science and innovation. As expected, there is a commitment to study universal pharmacare to be headed by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins, but there were no dollars attached to the project. (The NDP, not surprisingly, are not convinced by the exercise). There’s more money for cyber-security and CSE, but nothing about new fighters or warships (but then again, DND has a procurement capacity bottleneck right now, so perhaps it’s for the best that they’re not piling on new promises). It also contains some $16 million over the next two years to find a new payroll system to replace the Phoenix gong show. The rules for how private corporations will be taxed have been made clearer. There is the expected $50 million over five years for local journalism (to be distributed by one or more independent, non-governmental organizations). And hey, there is also $73 million for the new Ottawa Public Library/Library and Archives Canada joint facility.

Canadian Press has reaction statements of various leaders and stakeholder groups. Maclean’s has compiled some lists as well: fifteen ways it affects your wallet, the eight biggest winners, five ways in which the budget helps families, and six ways it could help shrink the gender pay gap. The Financial Post looks at all the small items that may have escaped your notice.

Meanwhile, Chantal Hébert looks at how the budget positions the Liberals ahead of the 2019 election. Susan Delacourt notes how much of the budget reflects the tough year that Morneau endured. Andrew Coyne delivers a scathing rebuke of the budget and its social justice aspirations in lieu of economic ones.

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/968623445629026305

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/968626616598388736

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/968629334708662272

Good reads:

• Justin Trudeau says that he stands by the senior bureaucrat (likely the National Security Advisor) and the theory on Jaspal Atwal that he put forward.
• Liberal MP Randeep Sarai has resigned as Pacific Caucus chair over this role in inviting Atwal to the reception in India.
• Atwal, incidentally, continues to spin tales about just how influential he is.
• One of Omar Khadr’s lawyers was nominated as a Federal Court judge, and of course there are Conservatives freaking out about it.
• Maclean’s got the details of Patrick Brown’s last day as leader, primarily from the staffer perspective.
• Colby Cosh looks at New Zealand’s tentative steps toward “Canadianizing” their Bill of Rights.
• My column looks at the growing divide between caucus and leaders in various parties, exemplified by the Bloc and the Ontario PC party.

Odds and ends:

Here’s a look at the flurry of Order Paper questions submitted in the wake of the PM’s India trip.

Former Edmonton mayor and former PC cabinet minister Stephen Mandel is now the leader of the Alberta Party (without a seat, natch).