Every year, we hear the same story. Liberals say they’ve got our backs. Conservatives say they’re on our side. Then both hand billions to corporations that turn around and lay off Canadian workers.
This federal budget could have been different. It could have invested in affordable homes, strong public services, and good union jobs. Instead, it chose cuts. Cuts to services families rely on. Cuts to the very jobs that keep our communities running. Meanwhile, corporate profits keep climbing and the richest one percent walk away with nearly 40 percent of new income in this country. That isn’t balance. It’s ignoring the needs of everyday Canadians. Working people don’t need more lectures about “belt-tightening.” We need a government willing to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share, invest in public housing, protect Canadian jobs, and rebuild services that have been gutted.
A Rob Ashton led NDP would vote down this budget as tabled. It is the responsibility of the Liberals to work with the other parties to pass a budget that actually addresses the needs of everyday Canadians.
This government has made its choice. So have I. Under my leadership, the NDP will fight to ensure federal budgets are written by and for the people who actually build this country: every day people, not billionaires. We need budgets that will address the affordability crisis, create good jobs, build affordable housing and strengthen services and infrastructure Canadians need.
