How will the parties pay for their promises? Why costed platforms are important [Video]

As most of the major parties gear up to unveil their fully costed platforms, a former assistant parliamentary budget officer says they’re important because Canadians want to understand how parties will implement their spending plans during a trade war.

“We really want to understand how they are addressing those really big issues and in a changing context,” said Sahir Khan, now the executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) at the University of Ottawa.

Khan added the federal government is facing a worse budgetary outlook because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the fact the Liberals’ hike to capital gains did not become law before the campaign began.

“Everything’s about $68 billion worse over the next five years,” Khan said on CBC’s The House, referencing an analysis from the IFSD about the federal deficit. “So a slower economy, more spending to cover EI and other supports for the industry.”

“So we have got to figure out how these …