Tories can be more aggressive

With a majority, Tories can be more aggressive

And I say "amen to that".

Trust a bureaucrat to call a 1.3% cut to government spending a horrible idea.

Mr. Baird says about 80,000 public servants are expected to leave within the next five to seven years, meaning attrition could be a source of savings. He said the government hasn’t set a target, though.

“We’re not starting out this process saying: ‘Here’s the range of public servants we want to reduce,’” he said.
John Gordon, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says he’s concerned by the government’s attrition talk.

“Stephen Harper has always talked about smaller government,” Mr. Gordon said. “If people leave through attrition, that means less people to do the work. And if there’s less people to do the work, then something has to give.”

 Here's what it comes down to.  There are hundreds of little offices and jobs in the federal government that aren't effective and a waste of money.  There are hundreds and thousands of people in the public service who have been promoted for no other reason than their supervisor or their political master wanted it so.  To be quite frank, it's time for the public service to have to start living within its means.  The unfortunately thing for them is that they now have a political master who may honestly believe this and will do something about it.

One thing I do know, is that the Conservatives can reverse the course of talking points merely by making sure that they balance the budget as quickly as they can and start repaying the debt as quickly as they can.  Not only should they pay down the debt as soon as possible, they should make sure that debt repayment is encoded in the budgeting process so that the accumulated debt can be repaid as early as possible as well - be it through a sinking fund or through actual reduction of debt.

In the mean time, good luck to PSAC for avoiding job losses in a bureaucracy that clearly needs them.