Some reactions to the budget:

“The $200-billion in program spending Mr. Flaherty has budgeted for this year works out to about $5,800 for every man, woman and child in Canada. Even adjusting for inflation and increases in population, that’s more than Paul Martin spent in his frantic last hours. It is more than the Mulroney government spent in its last days. It is more than the Trudeau government spent in the depths of the early 1980s recession. All of these past benchmarks of out-of-control spending must now be retired. Jim Flaherty has outdone them all.” — Andrew Coyne, the National Post.

“This (the budget) is so Liberal, the Grits should sue for breach for copyright” — John Ibbitson, the Globe and Mail

“The federal budget delivered Monday by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was conservative in name only. It increases the size and scope of activity undertaken by the federal government and relies largely on a host of activist economic policies rather than focusing on creating the right environment to encourage economic activity.” — Niels Veldhuis and Jason Clemens, the Fraser Institute.