Peace River – Westlock MP Arnold Viersen has released the following statement in response to the 2024 Federal Budget presented by the Liberals on Tuesday, April 16.
“After nine years, Justin Trudeau’s budget is just more of the same that got us into this mess. Inflationary spending continues to add to the ever-increasing inflationary deficit,” said MP Viersen. “This is saddling all Canadians, especially the younger generation, with record levels of debt. The Toronto Sun editorial board appropriately described Trudeau’s budget as a ‘debt bomb’.”
According to Viersen, key highlights from the 2024 budget include:
- $52.9 billion in new spending over the next five years.
- $40 billion deficit this fiscal year, with no plan to balance the budget.
- $54.1 billion is the cost to service the growing national debt – $2 billion more than projected in the fall.
- $1.25 trillion is the new total of Canada’s national debt.
“Yesterday, the Finance Minister boasted that her budget would ‘continue to stick to a responsible fiscal plan’ by ‘maintaining the 2023-24 deficit at or below $40.1 billion,’” stated MP Viersen. “This Liberal government seems to forget that fiscal responsibility is achieved through balancing a budget and paying down debt.”
“Every dollar in new inflationary spending drives up costs. Canadians now have their ninth straight deficit, nearly $40 billion in new spending, sky-high interest rates, and double the rent & mortgage payments. The Trudeau government is not, and never has been, worth the cost.”
Viersen says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has outlined three commons sense demands to fix the budget:
- Axe the tax on farmers and food by immediately passing Bill C-234 in its original form.
- Build the homes, not bureaucracy, by requiring cities to permit 15 per cent more home building each year as a condition for receiving federal infrastructure money.
- Cap the spending with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down interest rates and inflation. The government must find a dollar in savings for every new dollar of spending.
“Unsurprisingly the Prime Minister refuses to listen and instead stepped on the inflationary gas pedal. Conservatives will vote against an inflationary budget that will only burden struggling families with higher taxes and more debt,” added Viersen.
“A Conservative government will bring home a Canada where people can earn powerful paycheques that can buy affordable food, gas, and homes in safe neighbourhoods based on the common sense of the common people.”
In an interview with XM105 Viersen also pointed out that Canada is falling behind when it comes to demand for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG.) and says getting these projects off the ground should be a priority.
“I think we need to ensure that our major projects can get going,” says Viersen. “The world is showing up to ask for our LNG, and we have no major LNG projects that are happening because they cannot get through the regulatory program. The Liberals continue to talk about a lack of a business case for these projects, but the lack of a business case comes from government regulations. We want to see our major projects go forward; we want Canada to be an energy leader in the world and nothing in this budget is going to be doing that.”