Island MP says NDP Scored Wins in Budget But Liberals Didn’t Go Far Enough

Langford-Malahat-Cowichan NDP MP Alistair MacGregor says New Democrats achieved some “significant wins” in Tuesday’s federal budget, pushing the Liberals to fund a pharma care program and to provide money for a national school food program.
 

He says the New Democrats are the party that pressured the Trudeau government to make sure there was coverage for diabetes medication and devices, and for birth control. 

He also says the dental care program has 1.7 million Canadians enrolled and all eligible seniors should be signed up for the program by May, with nine million people covered by 2025. 

MacGregor adds the housing measure is another result of NDP pressure on the federal Liberals. 

He says most residents on the island will see little impact from tax increases in the federal budget,  

“The major change when it comes to individuals,” MacGregor explains, “comes with respect to capital gains, and it’s really like the top 0.1 percent of Canadian who are already extremely wealthy. 

However, MacGregor says the Liberals did not go far enough when it comes to taxation. 

“There’s no mention of an excess profits tax and I think that’s due to the hard work of the oil and gas lobby which has made great friends with both Liberals and Conservatives over the years.”

Federally, the NDP is critical of the low amount of money for the Canadian disability benefit, the loss of five thousand public sector workers which will slow down the delivery of services, and the lack of additional funding to close the gap for Indigenous infrastructure and housing as well as for Jordan’s principle – which ensures equal services for Indigenous children. 

According to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, “Justin Trudeau has had nine budgets to make life better and more affordable, but Canadians are still falling farther behind. Pierre Poilievre will make things worse for working people with his cuts to services and programs people depend on.” 

MacGregor also notes it was the NDP which was behind the government doubling the tax credit for volunteer fire fighters and search and rescue volunteers.

The income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue personnel is set to increase from $3,000 to $6,000.