Federal budget 2015: Leaders, stakeholders give their verdict

Finance Minister Joe Oliver's fiscal plan has appealed to some, while other groups joined opposition leaders in voicing their criticism.

• Federal budget 2015: Highlights of Joe Oliver's fiscal plan
• Federal budget 2015: Conservatives dig into contingency to hit surplus

Here's a selection of quotes about the federal budget tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday:

"It is a balanced budget, just as we promised, and it cuts taxes for hard-working individuals and families. It is a prudent and principled plan that will see Canadians more prosperous, more secure, and even more confident in our country's place in the world." — Finance Minister Joe Oliver

"It's a bit of economic sleight of hand. The contingency fund, as the parliamentary budget officer said very recently, is there for real emergencies ... It's not something that you tap into on budget day because you're missing a couple of billion dollars." — NDP leader Tom Mulcair

"Leadership is about helping those who need it most. But even in this tight budget, Mr. Harper finds ways to give billions to the rich." — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau

"The Harper administration is set to spend more money on the celebrations of Canada's 150th birthday than on the crisis of First Nations education. It is remarkable that in a budget tabled seven months before the negotiation deadline for a comprehensive climate treaty, the words 'climate change' are nowhere even mentioned. " — Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

"It's a status-quo budget, and the status quo is not acceptable. We don't see any investments in housing to deal with the 130,000 units we need. . We don't see investments in education on reserves. There's still a huge fiscal imbalance there. We don't see any investments even in access to potable water. There are still 93 communities with boil-water advisories." — Perry Bellegarde, national chief for the Assembly of First Nations

"The government needs to stop cluttering up the tax code, picking winners and losers, and giving special treatment to some industries but not others. By all means cut taxes, but do it across the board." — Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Aaron Wudrick

"Reducing the small business corporate tax rate was viewed by CFIB members as the most effective measure the federal government could take to strengthen the performance of small firms." — Dan Kelly, president, Canadian Federation of Independent Business

"The world has changed since our original copyright laws were drafted. Every piece of music is, at least theoretically, with us forever. Extending the copyright term is an eminently sensible response to this new situation and a welcome one!" — Singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn

"This budget does far more harm than good in addressing the gap between workers and the richest Canadians. With this budget, that gap will only continue to grow." — Paul Moist, national president of CUPE

"This budget should be called the inequality budget. It leaves out Canadians that need a break and hands billions to the country's wealthiest families that don't need a leg up. This approach is unfair, expensive, and just plain bad public policy." — Rick Smith, executive director of the Broadbent Institute

"This is a play-it-safe budget, no big new ideas, but great success in deficit reduction, tax cuts and smaller government. The measures to help families, savers and seniors are worthwhile and affordable." — Sherry Cooper, chief economist for Dominion Lending Centres