Duncan reacts to federal budget: “Our expectations were completely ignored”

More Spending, Higher Taxes and Missed Opportunities

Ottawa, ON – Eric Duncan, Member of Parliament for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry sent media the following statement regarding the 2023 Federal Budget:

“Conservatives communicated clear expectations ahead of Budget 2023: the Liberals must reverse inflationary deficits, commit to no tax increases on Canadians, and end the war on work by letting workers bring home more powerful paycheques.

Our expectations were completely ignored.

Not only has the federal deficit ballooned an extra $10 billion from last fall’s numbers to $43 billion, there is also no plan to balance the budget. Our national debt stands at $1.2 trillion and growing, equivalent to $88,000 per household in Canada. This is not sustainable.

The contrast between the Conservative approach and that of the Liberal-NDP coalition on how to address the issues facing Canadians could not be clearer. “The fine print of Budget 2023 highlights what we have known for years: the Liberals don’t have a revenue problem; they have a spending problem. “Tax revenues have skyrocketed because of record high inflation, yet the Liberals still want to triple their carbon tax and increase the taxes Canadians pay on beer and wine to pay for their out-of-control spending.

When it comes to the priorities of rural communities, like improving internet access, the Liberal-NDP coalition keep re-hashing the same broken promises. Just this week, the independent Auditor General slammed the government for continuing make budget promises for better rural internet service, and then not following through. Only 60% of rural and remote Canadian homes have access to high-speed internet, including several significant gaps in Eastern Ontario.
“Locally, I am disappointed but sadly not surprised, that Budget 2023 did not include a response to the request from community leaders on the serious strains that the IRCC Processing Centre has caused in Cornwall over the last few months.
“It has been 57 days since I called on the Liberals to present a plan and resources for local services who were already overwhelmed by high caseloads and staff burnout.

The Liberals have yet to provide the resources requested to fix the chaos they created in cities like Cornwall, Niagara Falls, and Windsor.
“Simply put: the serious concerns of local officials and community partners were not addressed in any real way.

While the Liberals finally agreed to our Conservative demand to close Roxham Road immediately, Budget 2023 will not fix our broken immigration system or clear the millions of backlogged applications.

Canadians deserve better. Everything our government touches feels broken and is in desperate need of fixing.

After eight years, Budget 2023 simply continues the same failed approach. This plan will drive up the cost of living and increase taxes on Canadians who simply can’t afford it.

To nobody’s surprise, I join my Conservative colleagues and say: we cannot and will not support this Budget.”