Today is budget day. A 5-year budget plan has been tabled that plans to bring the federal deficit down from $53.8-billion to $1.8-billion by 2015 through targeting cuts in the public service, freezing foreign aid, limiting growth in military spending and instituting higher Employment Insurance premiums.
I find the budget extremely interesting, however today’s question is is only loosely based on the budget. You see, a few days ago, Jim Flaherty, The Finance Minister, bought himself a new pair of shoes. Now, you may say to yourself “yeah, so what?” but apparently this is a tradition – Finance Ministers buy themselves new shoes to deliver the budget. So, today’s question is: where and when did the tradition of new budget day shoes start?
A: There is a common misconception that this tradition was started in the British parliament, however Westminster tradition allows the Chancellor of the Exchequer to carry into the House a despatch box (or Red Box) and to take any liquid refreshment of his own choosing while delivering his budget speech.
The new budget shoes is strictly a Canadian tradition, which likely began as a prank played on Mitchell Sharp, the Liberal Finance Minister of 1966. In 1991, Sharp explained to the Toronto Star that someone told him that Finance Ministers traditionally wear new shoes when presenting the budget. So he accepted the statement and bought a good pair of shoes that he wore on budget day in 1966 and donned another new pair in 1967. "Later, I learned there was no tradition behind it at all," he said.
The practice was not continued again until 1978 when Jean Chrétien wore new shoes to deliver the new budget. John Crosbie, the Conservative Finance Minister, pulled on a pair of mukluks in 1979. Marc Lalonde continued the tradition for two years, beginning in 1982 and Conservative Michael Wilson followed, opting for a new pair for four of the six budgets he brought down.
In 1994, Paul Martin's inaugural year as Finance Minister, he wore a pair of work boots, a gift from Mr. Chrétien, however to show frugality Mr. Martin did not buy new shoes for the following six budgets that he tabled as Finance Minister. Ralph Goodale laced up two pairs of new shoes and in subsequent years Mr. Flaherty has been inconsistent with the tradition. Yet in 2007, he bought his son skates as a variation on the theme. Perhaps that reflects the notion that minority governments are always skating on thin ice when they bring down a budget.
More on the the 2010 Budget: CBC News - Money - Federal budget 2010
Sources:
The Minister of Finance’s New Shoes
The National Post. Budget 2010: A Second Year of Stimulus Spending. Paul Vieira. March 4, 2010
The Ottawa Citizen. Why do finance ministers wear new shoes to deliver a budget? March 25, 2007.
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