Saskatchewan MPs Rosemarie Falk and Gary Vidal. (file/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Raising concerns

Battlefords and Meadow Lake MPs weigh in on new federal budget

Apr 17, 2024 | 11:36 AM

Battlefords and Meadow Lake area MPs are raising their frustrations about the new federal budget released this week.

Battlefords—Lloydminster MP Rosemarie Falk and Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River MP Gary Vidal both said they found some significant gaps in the budget they found disconcerting.

“Life has never been more expensive for Canadians,” said Falk in an email. “After eight years of [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau, rents, mortgages, and down payments have doubled, record deficits have driven interest rates sky high, and the costly coalition’s tax and spend agenda is fueling the affordability crisis.”

She added the new federal budget is “more of the same from the Trudeau government. The budget adds nearly $40 billion in new inflationary spending and does not offer struggling Canadians the relief they so desperately need.”

“Common sense Conservatives will not support this wasteful inflationary budget,” Falk added.

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Vidal also raised a number of issues about the budget.

“When I first ran for election as the Member of Parliament in 2019, I often said that Canada could not afford four more years of this Liberal government,” he said in a statement. “When speaking about the deficits at the time, I said: Like other Canadians, I could not run my household finances like this Liberal government runs our countries finances, I could not run my business this way. As mayor, I could not run our city this way. Why does the federal government think it is OK to run our country this way?”

Vidal added he is “living my worst fears” since he first made those claims.

“We are leaving our future generations an absolute mess to deal with,” he said. “Our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be paying for the debt Justin Trudeau has plunged Canada into. To tackle the high cost of living and inflation crisis – the Liberal Government needed to show restraint, instead they emptied the cupboards again. There is no stopping the inflationary deficits that are driving up interest rates and inflation. Bottom line is this budget will do nothing to address the inflation crises Canadians are facing, in fact, it will actually make it worse.”

Vidal also wanted to note the following information about some of his concerns overall, looking at the financial impact.

“Some general big picture financial items include: In 2015, Canada’s debt was $612 billion,” he stressed. “According to the 2015 budget, balance had been reached. In 2015 total expenditures were $280 billion.”

Rising debt

“In 2024/25, Canada’s debt is projected to be $1.255 trillion,” Vidal said. “That is an increase in debt of $643 billion. In 2024/25, total expenditures are projected to be $535 billion. That is almost double, 191 per cent.”

By 2028-2029, projected expenditures are $609 billion, he added. That is a $329 billion or a 218 per cent of expenditures from 2015.

By 2029, Canada’s debt will be $1,372 trillion dollars. That means Canada will have incurred $760 billion of deficits/new debt since Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister.

“Remember, in 2015 they promised $20 billion of deficits over two years and then balanced budgets after that,” Vidal stated. “Now they are projecting over $40-billion-dollar deficits per year for the next five years with no end in sight. We will pay over $338-billion in interest on the debt in the next six years. We will pay more in debt on an annual basis than is transferred to the provinces for healthcare.”

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsNOW