NDP takes aim at budget cuts

The NDP took on Conservative budget cuts Wednesday, showing a more coordinated question period strategy than they've used since returning to Parliament at the start of this week.

The Official Opposition party fired question after question about past and future cuts to search and rescue, the fisheries industry and military bases.

The Conservatives made a show of telling the NDP to make the time to read the budget, with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty referring one MP to specific pages in the document.

Flaherty alsopointed to Treasury Board President Tony Clement and a new cabinet subcommittee that are set to review programs to find savings. Their work will commence "soon," he said.

"They'll do a careful review. They'll not slash and burn the way the Liberals did (in the mid-'90s)," Flaherty said.

Heckling was again kept to a minimum as the NDP and Conservatives try to show their commitment to a more civil House of Commons.