Haliburton’s MP is not buying into the federal budget.
Jamie Schmale says the budget unveiled Tuesday by Finance Minister Bill Morneau and the Liberal government is a diversionary tactic.
Speaking with MyHaliburtonNow.com, Schmale said “this cover-up budget should surprise no one, the Liberal’s plan is simple, tens of billions of dollars in spending to distract from the SNC-Lavalin corruption scandal.”
He says that Canadians were looking for three major things from the government: a balanced budget, tax-relief and to be competitive in the business sector across the country. Which Schmale says aren’t happening in this budget.
Schmale pointed out that Prime Minister Trudeau had promised to have a balanced budget by 2019 but rather than a balanced budget there’s a $20 billion deficit. He says “what it means is down the road it means tax hikes or service cuts.”
With the potential increase in taxes after the election, Schmale emphasized that will turn into the cost of living going up. He also says that means the number of people trying to get by with less is going to increase.
According to the Haliburton representative, this is a tactic that other Liberal politicians have used in the past. He says that Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty both tried to cover up scandals by announcing billions in spending.
One item that came from the budget was an incentive for first time home buyers, which would allow them to finance the home through a shared equity mortgage.
When asked if that was a preferred solution to perhaps diverting some budget to building more affordable housing, Schmale responded by saying “the dream of many people is homeownership. I think that is something that all governments are tasked with.”
Continuing on about housing, Schmale says “when you are talking about the price of housing, which in many areas in Haliburton County, has gone up significantly. That is a challenge for many.”
He goes on to suggest that can be countered by making sure that there is more supply going on the market. He also suggested that ensuring communities have land to build a housing supply on is another option.
Schmale, who has been advocating for better broadband access across Eastern Ontario, also questioned the decision to announce broadband expansion when the Eastern Ontario Warden’s Caucus had given the Liberals a plan two years ago.