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Inmates of the Toronto Jail on Feb. 24, 2011.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

Opposition politicians demanding a full accounting of the Conservative crime agenda's costs did not get it in Tuesday's budget.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has acknowledged the expansion of the federal corrections system required to house additional prisoners created by so-called "tough-on-crime" laws will cost $2.7-billion, an amount the Parliamentary Budget Office says falls short by several billion dollars.

But federal officials say that money was factored into previous budgets and there is nothing in the latest documents to suggest the government believes it will be spending more to put criminals behind bars.

Instead, there is a handful of safety measures -- including money for aboriginal policing and justice, and funds to keep kids away from gangs and drug crime -- that will cost about $27-million annually.

There is also a plan to improve baggage screening at airports that will cost about $200,000, about $13-million to help victims of crime and $8-million a year to go after war criminals.

The most expensive measure in the "public safety, security and justice" section of the budget is the government's promise to waive license fees on firearms until May 2012. That will cost $21-million a year.

Later Tuesday, the three federal opposition parties announced they will all vote against Mr. Flaherty's proposed budget, making it likely that a spring election will be called and that none of the budget's provisions will be enacted.

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