Local politicians are reacting to the proposed federal budget tabled by the Liberal Government on Tuesday.
City of Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen says it will take time to review the scope of the proposed budget, and discussions will be had with the city’s Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer to see the full impact it could have.
“As always, City Council will continue to advocate for the supports we need in our city to best serve our residents,” Hyggen says. “We need to understand the details of the Build Community Strong Fund, but it is encouraging to see national commitments of $115 billion in infrastructure and $25 billion in homebuilding.”
Hyggen says the city is hopeful that Lethbridge will be seriously considered for a fair share of the funding allotments. He adds council and administration look forward to working with the Federal Government in the future to look at all available avenues.
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In a statement, Lethbridge MP Racheal Thomas says the budget, which includes a deficit of nearly $80 million, is a broken promise from the Carney government, as Prime Minister Mark Carney had promised a $62 million deficit. According to the Conservative MP, the document is filled with broken promises and fiscal damage.
“He promised to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio, but instead, he raised it, and inflation along with it. He promised to spend less, but spending has increased by $90 billion, costing $5,400 per Canadian family,” Thomas states. “The one promise the Carney Liberals did keep was that Canadians would have to make more sacrifices. Canada is facing a multitude of challenges with investment rapidly leaving the country, a tumultuous trade war, and a continued battle against unaffordability.”
Thomas says over the past decade, spending by the Liberal government has taken a toll on Canadians. In the Lethbridge community, she says that this can be seen with food bank usage up by 45.5 per cent for adults and 150 per cent for children.
“Conservatives asked for reasonable measures. We called on the Liberals to scrap hidden taxes on food by eliminating the industrial carbon tax; cut taxes on homebuilding, investment, and energy; and to stop inflationary taxation by keeping the deficit under $42 billion.”
When the budget was tabled on Tuesday, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduced it as a “generational investment”. The budget highlights a focus on pillars including workers and skills development, housing funding, major infrastructure and innovation.
