New shoes on budget day
Encyclopedia
New shoes on budget day is an unusual tradition among Canadian
Ministers of Finance
. The tradition holds that the Minister of Finance should purchase or wear new shoe
s when the budget
is delivered.
The exact origins of this tradition are not known. The observance of this tradition has been inconsistent among federal ministers; indeed, for two or three finance ministers, this tradition only holds if "new shoes" is interpreted to mean "new footwear
". It also makes appearances among provincial finance ministers.
Mitchell Sharp
wore new shoes on budget day in 1966. The exact reason for his doing so is not known, but the following year there were two budgets, one in June where he wore new shoes and one in November. He wore the same pair of shoes in November, as budget day fell on St. Andrew's Day, and "being a Scot, and this being the second budget I have presented this year, I am wearing the same shoes that I wore when I presented the budget on June 1."
wore a new pair of shoes on budget day in 1968, although he said, "He didn't buy them just for the budget." The following year he did not wear new shoes when delivering the budget, saying jokingly that he couldn't afford them, and in 1970 he proudly displayed his worn soles on budget day.
The next two Finance Ministers, John Turner
and Donald Macdonald
, delivered their budgets without new shoes. The next one was Jean Chrétien
, who wore new shoes for both of his budgets of 1978. The following Finance Minister, John Crosbie
, did not wear new shoes in 1979 for his only budget. However, he is the first Finance Minister to wear new footwear other than shoes, as he wore mukluk
s.
Following Crosbie, Allan MacEachen
did not wear new shoes, but his successor, Marc Lalonde
, did for his second budget.
Michael Wilson
wore new shoes for the first four of the six budgets he presented. His successor, Donald Mazankowski, did not.
Despite delivering eight budgets, Paul Martin
never wore new shoes. However, if "new shoes" is interpreted to mean "new footwear", Paul Martin followed the tradition by wearing work boots
for the first budget he delivered.
John Manley
did not wear new shoes for the one budget he tabled. The next Minister of Finance, Ralph Goodale
, released two budgets and wore new shoes both times.
The current Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty
, has tabled six budgets. He wore new shoes for the first one. For the second one, instead of wearing new shoes, he bought ice skate
s for his son.
For his third budget, he resoled his shoes to show that his 2008 budget is fiscally prudent, but returned to the tradition in 2009 and 2010.
, the current Minister of Finance for British Columbia, wore new shoes. For her third budget, she wore new green-coloured shoes to go with the environmental focus of her budget.
In 2005, Colin Hansen
wore new running shoes when he released his only budget.
In 2001, Minister of Finance Paul Ramsay wore new shoes when he delivered his budget. His predecessor, Joy MacPhail
, did the same with a second-hand set when she tabled her budget.
wore inline skates and a helmet when he tabled a budget.
wore new shoes.
In 2007, Greg Sorbara
wore new shoes when he released Ontario's provincial budget.
In 2003, Pauline Marois
presented Quebec's budget in new shoes.
In 2006, Michel Audet
wore new shoes when he delivered his budget speech.
wore new hiking boots when he delivered his budget.
was speaking to journalists about PEI's budget when the Premier
interrupted and presented her with a pair of sandals.
wore caribou-skin boots when he tabled Nunavut's budget.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Ministers of Finance
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
. The tradition holds that the Minister of Finance should purchase or wear new shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s when the budget
Canadian federal budget
In Canada, federal budgets are presented annually by the Government of Canada to identify planned government spending, expected government revenue, and forecast economic conditions for the upcoming year....
is delivered.
The exact origins of this tradition are not known. The observance of this tradition has been inconsistent among federal ministers; indeed, for two or three finance ministers, this tradition only holds if "new shoes" is interpreted to mean "new footwear
Footwear
Footwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....
". It also makes appearances among provincial finance ministers.
Origins
While several Canadian parliamentary traditions have their origins in Britain, new shoes on budget day does not. Among modern Ministers of Finance to wear new shoes on budget day, Donald M. Fleming in 1960 followed a practice that was already being described in the media as "traditional", while some say the tradition of wearing "something new" goes back to Sir John Rose and the first budget of 1868.Mitchell Sharp
Mitchell Sharp
Mitchell William Sharp, PC, CC was a Canadian politician and a Companion of the Order of Canada, was most noted for his service as a Liberal Cabinet minister. He had, however, served in both private and public sectors during his long career.-Background:Sharp was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
wore new shoes on budget day in 1966. The exact reason for his doing so is not known, but the following year there were two budgets, one in June where he wore new shoes and one in November. He wore the same pair of shoes in November, as budget day fell on St. Andrew's Day, and "being a Scot, and this being the second budget I have presented this year, I am wearing the same shoes that I wore when I presented the budget on June 1."
Followers
Following Sharp, Edgar BensonEdgar Benson
Edgar John Benson, PC, FCA was a Canadian politician, businessman, diplomat, and university professor. He held three different Cabinet posts. He was married to an Ottawa lawyer, Mary Jane Binks....
wore a new pair of shoes on budget day in 1968, although he said, "He didn't buy them just for the budget." The following year he did not wear new shoes when delivering the budget, saying jokingly that he couldn't afford them, and in 1970 he proudly displayed his worn soles on budget day.
The next two Finance Ministers, John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
and Donald Macdonald
Donald Stovel Macdonald
Donald Stovel Macdonald, PC, CC is a former Canadian Liberal politician and Cabinet minister.Macdonald graduated from the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto in 1952. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 election as the Liberal Member of...
, delivered their budgets without new shoes. The next one was Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, who wore new shoes for both of his budgets of 1978. The following Finance Minister, John Crosbie
John Crosbie
John Carnell Crosbie, PC, OC, ONL, QC is a retired provincial and federal politician and the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
, did not wear new shoes in 1979 for his only budget. However, he is the first Finance Minister to wear new footwear other than shoes, as he wore mukluk
Mukluk
Mukluks or Kamik are a soft boot traditionally made of reindeer skin or sealskin and were originally worn by Arctic aboriginal people, including the Inuit and Yupik. The term mukluk is often used for any soft boot designed for cold weather and modern designs are often similar to high-top athletic...
s.
Following Crosbie, Allan MacEachen
Allan MacEachen
Allan Joseph MacEachen, PC, OC is a retired Canadian politician, a many-time Cabinet minister, a retired Senator, one of Canada's elder statesmen, and was the first Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, serving from 1977 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984.-Early life:Born in Inverness on Nova Scotia's Cape...
did not wear new shoes, but his successor, Marc Lalonde
Marc Lalonde
Marc Lalonde, PC, OC, QC is a retired Canadian politician and Cabinet minister.Lalonde was born in Île Perrot, Quebec and obtained a Master of Laws degree from the Université de Montréal, a Master's degree from Oxford University, and a Diplôme d'études supérieures en droit from the University of...
, did for his second budget.
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson (politician)
Michael Holcombe Wilson, PC, CC is a Canadian diplomat, politician and business leader.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson attended Upper Canada College, Trinity College at the University of Toronto where he joined The Kappa Alpha Society...
wore new shoes for the first four of the six budgets he presented. His successor, Donald Mazankowski, did not.
Despite delivering eight budgets, Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
never wore new shoes. However, if "new shoes" is interpreted to mean "new footwear", Paul Martin followed the tradition by wearing work boots
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
for the first budget he delivered.
John Manley
John Manley
John Manley may refer to:* John Manley , English soldier, MP and Postmaster General* John Manley, Canadian politician* John Manley , British archaeologist* John H. Manley, American nuclear physicist...
did not wear new shoes for the one budget he tabled. The next Minister of Finance, Ralph Goodale
Ralph Goodale
Ralph Edward Goodale, PC, MP was Canada's Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006 and continues to be a Liberal Member of Parliament...
, released two budgets and wore new shoes both times.
The current Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
, has tabled six budgets. He wore new shoes for the first one. For the second one, instead of wearing new shoes, he bought ice skate
Ice skate
Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice. They are worn as footwear in many sports, including ice hockey, bandy and figure skating. The first ice skates were made from leg bones of horse, ox or deer, and were attached to feet with...
s for his son.
For his third budget, he resoled his shoes to show that his 2008 budget is fiscally prudent, but returned to the tradition in 2009 and 2010.
Appearances by Provincial Ministers
Several of these appearances are variations and twists on the federal tradition.British Columbia
For the two provincial budgets she has delivered, Carole TaylorCarole Taylor
Carole Taylor, OC is a Canadian journalist and former politician.She is currently serving as the Chancellor of Simon Fraser University since June 17, 2011. She previously served as British Columbia's Minister of Finance from 2005 until 2008 in the government of Liberal premier Gordon...
, the current Minister of Finance for British Columbia, wore new shoes. For her third budget, she wore new green-coloured shoes to go with the environmental focus of her budget.
In 2005, Colin Hansen
Colin Hansen
Colin Hansen was Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier for the Canadian province of British Columbia from June 10, 2009 to March 13,2011. He had also served as Minister Responsible for Small Business since October 25, 2010. On November 30, 2010, he was additionally appointed as the Minister of...
wore new running shoes when he released his only budget.
In 2001, Minister of Finance Paul Ramsay wore new shoes when he delivered his budget. His predecessor, Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail is a former Canadian politician in British Columbia. A longtime member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2005 and as a Minister of the Crown from 1993-1999, and 2000-2001.MacPhail was born in Hamilton,...
, did the same with a second-hand set when she tabled her budget.
Alberta
Once, when he was Alberta Treasurer, Stockwell DayStockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
wore inline skates and a helmet when he tabled a budget.
Ontario
For at least one of the budgets he released, Floyd LaughrenFloyd Laughren
Floyd Laughren is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1998 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, and served as Finance Minister and Deputy Premier in the government of Bob Rae.-Background:Laughren's childhood was far...
wore new shoes.
In 2007, Greg Sorbara
Greg Sorbara
Gregory Sam "Greg" Sorbara, MPP a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Vaughan. Sorbara served as the Minister of Finance in the Ontario Liberal Party government of Premier Dalton McGuinty from 2003 to 2007.He resigned on October 11, 2005, following a police investigation involving...
wore new shoes when he released Ontario's provincial budget.
Quebec
In 1989, Quebec Finance Minister Gerard Levesque presented the budget in new shoes.In 2003, Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix...
presented Quebec's budget in new shoes.
In 2006, Michel Audet
Michel Audet
Michel Audet is an economist and a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the Finance Minister of Quebec in the first Charest government....
wore new shoes when he delivered his budget speech.
New Brunswick
In 2002, New Brunswick finance minister Peter MesheauPeter Mesheau
Peter Mesheau is a politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented the electoral district of Tantramar in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1997 to 2006....
wore new hiking boots when he delivered his budget.
Prince Edward Island
In 2002, Pat MellaPat Mella
Patricia Janet Mella was Prince Edward Island PC party leader from 1990 to 1996.She was born Patricia MacDougall in Port Hill, Prince Edward Island and was educated at Saint Dunstan's University and the University of Prince Edward Island. A teacher and lecturer, she married Angelo Mella while...
was speaking to journalists about PEI's budget when the Premier
Pat Binns
Patrick George Binns , is a Canadian diplomat who was named Ambassador to Ireland on August 30, 2007.Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being the 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island, holding office from 1996 to 2007, during which time he was the leader of the Prince Edward...
interrupted and presented her with a pair of sandals.
Nunavut
In 1999, Finance Minister Kelvin NgKelvin Ng
Kelvin Ng is a former territorial and municipal level politician in Canada who was elected in both the Nunavut Legislature and Northwest Territories Legislature....
wore caribou-skin boots when he tabled Nunavut's budget.