‘Timid’ Liberal budget will continue to grow income inequality

NDP Leader, Jagmeet Singh, lamented Tuesday’s budget for refusing to crack down on tax loopholes for the super-rich and failing to make real progress into programs that help Canadians, like affordable housing and pharmacare.

“For all their talk on helping the middle class, this is a very timid budget that will actually increase the gap between the super-wealthy and the rest of us,” said Singh. “Canadians are rightfully asking, ‘if the economy is doing so well, why am I not feeling those benefits?’”

While Singh said the legislation on pay equity is long overdue, there is actually no fund or estimate in the Liberals’ budget allocated to the implementation of pay equity legislation. He blasted the Liberals’ refusal to address the housing crisis of today and their failure to allocate the funds needed to end all drinking water boil advisories in First Nations communities. The Liberals have also failed to answer to the urgency of climate change, by delaying most of the funding until after the next election.

“There is not a single dollar dedicated to the implementation of universal pharmacare, and in the meantime millions of Canadians are having to spend less on food in order to afford their prescriptions or having to skip their medicine all-together,” said NDP Finance Critic Peter Julian. “The millions of Canadians who can’t afford their prescription drugs don’t need another study; they need their leaders to find the courage to act immediately.”

The NDP has proposed the government use this year’s budget to close tax loopholes for the super-rich and crackdown on international tax havens, and then invest the billions of recovered revenue into a real pharmacare program to lower the costs of drugs for all Canadians.

“The Liberals sure like to talk a good game, but when it comes to standing up to the wealthy and well-connected, they’re showing they don’t have the courage to act and make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Singh.