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Opposition parties went after the Harper government in the House on Tuesday, chastising it for a lack of transparency in its federal budgets, and its apparent budgetary plans to cancel EI training transfer payments to the provinces.

“Two former officials of the minister of finance’s department have criticized deeply the pattern of secrecy and the abuse of Parliament by the government, Mr. Speaker,” said interim Liberal leader Bob Rae during Question Period.

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“The question now is: Now that the cat is out of the bag, with respect to the $2-billion program, which the program is intending to recapture and take away from the provinces, does the Prime Minister not agree that it is time now to consult … with the provinces and talk about this program before you suddenly announce it and spring it on the people of Canada?”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it would be premature to “speculate” on the contents of the upcoming budget. He also pointed to a C.D. Howe report that he said shows the government has more transparent public accounts than any other government in history.