Lethbridge MP not impressed with federal budget

Lethbridge MP Rachael Thomas spoke with Lethbridge News Now following the release of the budget, saying, “I would observe something that is yet another example of wasteful and inflationary spending and unfortunately, it’s going to put more debt on the backs of Canadians.”

“It’s going to drive up taxes, and it’s going to drive up prices for everyday household items.”

Thomas touched on the national debt, noting “an astronomical $54.1 billion will be spent just on servicing our debt.”

Rachael Thomas discusses Canada’s debt following the presentation of the federal budget, April 16, 2024.

“So, you can imagine what that money could possibly do for Canadians in terms of building hospitals and hiring doctors and making sure that folks have access to the care that they deserve, but instead of that, Trudeau is choosing to drive us into further debt and then, have to pay the interest on that. It’s a waste.”

LETHBRIDGE CONCERNS

Thomas says she hears from hundreds of people in the Lethbridge community every month.

She notes the vast majority of residents are concerned about food costs and rising natural gas bills.

“I’ve received dozens of natural gas bills where folks are highlighting their actual consumption cost and the what they pay for the carbon tax [and] often the carbon tax is actually more than the actual product itself.”

DEFICIT

Thomas remarks that this year’s Liberal budget is the ninth deficit after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised it would balance itself out. She says the deficits have led to rising interest rates, higher rent and mortgage payments for Canadian citizens.

“Unfortunately, it’s Canadian families that are going to have to pay for this,” she states.

“Trudeau has made the decision in this budget to add about $40 billion in net new spending. We know that this is going to drive up the cost of everything. I think we can expect that those costs are only going to continue to increase because of this government’s out-of-control inflationary spending.”

CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT

The next federal election will take place on or before October 20, 2025.

Thomas notes there are a few actions a federal Conservative Party government would take to address the concerns of Canadians.

“Certainly, axing the carbon tax, [and] making sure that farmers and families are able to afford to produce food and the buy food. We’re committed to making sure that homes get built, not bureaucracy, and we’re committed to fixing the budget and bringing spending under control.”

“We’re going to implement a dollar-for-dollar rule so for every dollar we spend, we have to find a dollar in savings,” she says.

The Lethbridge MP adds that tackling crime is another high priority.

“Canadians don’t feel safe in their neighborhood, they don’t feel safe going to their park, they don’t feel safe bringing their children to school and that has to be corrected,” Thomas says.

Thomas will be holding a community town hall to discuss various topics, including the federal budget, on April 22, 2024.

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by Justin Goulet

Lethbridge MP not impressed with federal budget

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