This is a summary prepared by CLA of the library related issues in the 2014 Federal Budget.

Memorandum
To: All CLA Members
From: Valoree McKay, CLA Executive Director
Subject: Federal Budget 2014
Date: 26 March 2014
On February 11th, the 2014 federal budget, entitled The Road to Balance: Creating Jobs and Opportunities, was presented in the House of Commons. CLA had a representative present at a private stakeholder Budget lock up on Parliament Hill where a small group of major national associations had an advanced preview and briefing on the Budget prior to Minister Flaherty delivering his Budget Speech on national television.
This budget commits to no new taxes for Canadian Families and businesses, and reduces tariffs on a number of goods. The budget also has a renewed focus on consumer issues, including targeting Canada-US pricing differences and eliminating a number of consumer billing costs.
The deficit will be reduced to 2.9 billion in 2014-2015, and the government will return to surplus of $6.4 billion next year.
CLA has taken the time to review this and would like to provide you with the following summary of key highlights of interest to the library community:
Supporting Leading-Edge Research
 Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide an additional $46 million per year, starting in 2014–15 and on an ongoing basis, to the granting councils in support of advanced research and scientific discoveries. As part of this measure, $9 million per year will be allocated for the Indirect Costs Program.
 The new resources for the Indirect Costs Program will build on its current $332-million annual budget, which supports indirect costs associated with federally sponsored research such as the renovation and maintenance of research facilities, resources for libraries, information technology, management of intellectual property and knowledge transfer activities.
Improving Access to Broadband in Rural and Northern Communities
 Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide $305 million over five years to extend and enhance access to high-speed broadband networks to a target speed of 5 megabits per second for up to an additional 280,000 Canadian households.
Continued Support for the Virtual Museum of Canada and Online Works of Reference
 Beginning in 2015–16, Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide ongoing funding of $4.2
million per year for the Virtual Museum of Canada and $1.2 million per year for the Online
Works of Reference. The funding and responsibility for these programs will be transferred to the
Canadian Museum of History.
 The Online Works of Reference provides online content on Canadian culture and history and
gives access to The Canadian Encyclopedia/Encyclopedia of Music in Canada and The Dictionary
of Canadian Biography, a comprehensive historical dictionary that provides articles with
accounts of the lives and times of the individuals who contributed to Canada’s development.
Beginning in 2015–16, Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide ongoing funding of $1.2
million per year for the Online Works of Reference.
Renewing the Computers for Schools Program
 Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide $36 million over four years to renew the
Computers for Schools Program, providing students and interns with access to information and
communications technology equipment and skills training.
Seizing the Opportunities of Open Data
 Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide $3 million over three years to the Canadian
Digital Media Network for the creation of the Open Data Institute, through the Federal
Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Supporting the Canada Book Fund
 Beginning in 2015–16, Economic Action Plan 2014 proposes to provide ongoing funding of $9
million per year for the Canada Book Fund. The Canada Book Fund helps supports access to a
diverse range of Canadian-authored books in Canada and abroad.
You can see the original at: