Leona Aglukkaq, the federal Health Minister and Nunavut Conservative MP, says Tuesday's budget is good for the North, but her counterparts in the Yukon and Northwest Territories are girding for a general election.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tabled the government's $278.7-billion spending blueprint that the three opposition parties – New Democrats, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois – say they can't support.

It was reported that a deal granting Quebec $2.2 billion for its harmonized sales tax would have kept the Bloc onside and staved off an election. To date, however, no such offer has been made, and the Liberals vowed to introduce a no-confidence motion tomorrow.

"I don't want an election, I've said that time and time again,” Aglukkaq told the Star Tuesday, before rephrasing Prime Minister Stephen Harper's mantra that a vote against the budget could jeopardize Canada's economic recovery.

"We're dealing with challenging issues in the North,” Aglukkaq said. "So the Liberals and the NDP will have to explain why they're rejecting these great benefits for the north.”

These include a promise to put $150 million towards an all-weather highway in the N.W.T., between Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik.

But NDP-Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington suggested today it could be similar to past promises for the North that have yet to materialize.

"Nowhere in the line estimates is there actually any money allocated for the Tuk to Inuvik highway ... you cannot find it in the budget,” Bevington told the Star.

"Ice breakers, better food-mail plan and a deep-water port for Iqaluit – these are things the Conservatives promised but haven't delivered.”

The NDP-Western Arctic MP called it a good time for Canadians to go to the polls as the Conservative budget is "inadequate”, despite the fact his private member's bill to increase the N.W.T.'s borrowing limit would die on the order paper if and when the federal government is dissolved.

"That is unfortunately the case, but I knew that going in,” he said.

"But by doing that, I was able to clearly demonstrate to a majority of parliamentarians that we want to see a less colonial approach to borrowing for the territories.”

From Yukon MP Larry Bagnell's perspective, it's more than the budget – including a $6-billion corporate tax cut the Liberals remain dead set against – that has Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff promising a non-confidence motion.

"They're in a number of scandals and there's all sorts of groups they've cut funding to over the years, so if the government goes down to defeat, it would be over an accumulation of things,” Bagnell told the Star. "It's not just problems with the budget.”

Proposed federal spending for 2011 earmarks $8 million for clean energy in aboriginal and northern communities, $9 million to expand adult education in the territories, a year extension of the 15 per cent exploration credit and $4 million to consult with aboriginal groups on the Alaska Pipeline.

Nevertheless, Bagnell said, the government has ignored other concerns.

"The biggest issue is affordable housing and ... there's nothing at all on that front and it's almost embarrassing the lack of reference to aboriginal people,” said Bagnell.

"And in a few days, all the climate change adaptation programs expire and we were pushing for a renewal of those ... and hoping there would be an extension of existing programs.”

Bagnell said he's ready to hit the campaign trail as soon as the writ is dropped, which could be as soon as Friday.

"In a minority government, you're ready all the time (for an election),” he said. "So I'll be off and running as soon as I get home.”

Bagnell has handily held on to his Yukon seat in three previous federal contests. He would be up against John Streicker of the Yukon Green Party and either Gerrard Fleming or Ryan Leef – both candidates for the Yukon Conservative Party's nomination. No meeting date has been set.

At 7:00 this evening at the Whitehorse Public Library, the federal wing of the Yukon New Democrats will hold their annual general meeting and will announce a nomination meeting.

There are also rumours that a third, as yet unnamed Conservative candidate is planning to challenge Fleming and Leef.

See commentaries, pages 10, 11; more budget and potential election coverage, p. 12.