TORONTO

The NDP is trying to give Conservative Finance Minister Joe Oliver a run for his money in his own riding.

NDP leader Tom Mulcair announced Friday that former Saskatchewan Finance Minister Andrew Thomson will be running in Eglinton-Lawrence against Oliver.

If he wins the riding and if the NDP forms the next government, Thomson would be a likely candidate to serve as Mulcair's finance minister.

During a campaign stop in the Toronto riding at the Eglinton Grand, Mulcair touted Thomson's track record delivering balanced budgets as an NDP finance minister in Saskatchewan while slamming the Prime Minister Stephen Harper's budget track record.

"Andrew has the experience and strong fiscal record that Ottawa needs to get the economy on track," Mulcair said. "The people of Eglinton-Lawrence have a clear choice this time around, four more years of Stephen Harper or our plan for change.

"The NDP's Andrew Thomson offers the people of Eglinton-Lawrence something that Joe Oliver hasn't, a record of balanced budgets."

Thomson - who has worked in the private sector for the last seven years - stressed he has experience introducing balanced budgets that included "substantial cuts" to personal, corporate, capital and sales taxes.

"I've been in government and I know what it takes," Thomson said. "During my 12 years as a member of the NDP government in Saskatchewan, I learned that progressive government meant investing in innovative social programs, investing in the support for economic growth and living within your means."

He went on to stress he is "a strong supporter of our resource-based economy."

"Stephen Harper and his government have no plan to deal with the inevitable downturn of resources," Thomson said.

Friday's announcement also included a pledge from Mulcair that an NDP government would make the Parliamentary Budget Officer a fully independent officer of Parliament similar to Canada's auditor general. An NDP government would also demand all government departments and agencies to provide financial information to the budget officer.

"It is time to take the partisanship out of the budgeting process and these measures will do just that," Mulcair said.

don.peat@sunmedia.ca