Article content

Tom Mulcair pledged Tuesday that an NDP government would lift the lid of secrecy around the federal budgetary process — providing Canadians much more information about how government spends their money.

Mulcair made the commitment in a speech at the University of Ottawa, where he was introduced by former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Mulcair promises 'transparent' approach to budgets Back to video

“As prime minister, I will lead a government that focuses on long-term fiscal planning,” Mulcair told an audience primarily consisting of students, with some supporters donning orange T-shirts.

Mulcair promised that after a decade of Conservatives in power under Stephen Harper, an NDP government would provide “a responsible, accountable and transparent approach, based on the very best science, not short-term or ideological ideas.”

He said those principles would guide the NDP “in good times and in bad — whether we’re benefiting from a booming economy, facing a mild economic downturn, or weathering the sort of severe recession that we faced in 2008 when economic stimulus was required.”