Giving those other omnibus budget bills their due

Near the end of the finance committee hearings on Wednesday night, Conservative MP Shelly Glover spoke up to clarify a few points, including the relative size of C-38, the current budget implementation act.

I also want to correct the record with regard to the size of the budget bill. Let’s get to the facts. Bill C-10, which is Budget 2009, the first budget bill there was bigger than this one. Bill C-9, Budget 2010, BIA No. 2 was 880 pages. Bill C-13, Budget 2011, just last year, BIA was 644 pages. All bigger than this one. This is not unusual in any way, shape or form.

C-38 is, indeed, just the fourth largest budget bill the Harper government has tabled. Between 1994 and 2005, when the Liberals were in power, Parliament never passed a budget bill larger than 144 pages (2003). The Conservatives have passed eight budget bills longer than that, C-38 would be the ninth.

The 12 budget bills tabled between 1994 and 2005 averaged 73.6 pages.

The 11 budget bills tabled between 2006 and 2011 averaged 308.9 pages.

See previously: A short history of budget implementation acts