One political expert says the B-C government’s new budget may pose challenges for the Opposition New Democrats as the province heads toward a spring election. Hamish Telford, a political science professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, says the budget leaves little room for the N-D-P to fund their big-ticket promises — including 10-dollar a-day daycare and a 15-dollar minimum wage — without considering raising taxes or running deficits. He says it delivers several blows by increasing spending in areas the Opposition usually focuses on, including health, education and child-welfare issues. But Michael Prince, a social policy expert at the University of Victoria, says the spending boosts on won’t wipe out the compassion deficit the B-C Liberals have built up during their time in power.