Westman MPs take aim at high-spending federal budget

Westman’s two Conservative MPs panned the federal budget for overspending while Canadians are having a difficult time making ends meet.

Brandon-Souris MP Grant Jackson said the projected deficit of $62.3 billion in the Liberal budget tabled Thursday is “quite alarming,” and that Prime Minister Mark Carney has doubled down on a “radical level” of spending.

“He’s taking a gamble with the fiscal health of this country,” Jackson said on Friday.

Jackson said the Conservative party’s projections show that $765 billion would be added to the national debt over the next five years based on expenditure projections in the budget.

“That is an enormous, enormous sum of money that we are deeply concerned about,” he said.

“Bigger deficits from the federal government make affordability worse, not better. So people right now, I hear all the time, are making choices about groceries versus gas versus their mortgages.”

Jackson said he is “very concerned” about the fiscal health of many families in the region.

Riding Mountain MP Dan Mazier also said the budget is “very concerning” for Canadians.

He said debt servicing and rising interest rates are hurting the average person.

“It’s just too much spending. It’s more deception — it’s pretty strong words, I know … but to see this amount of debt being piled on Canadians when we’re in the middle of an affordability crisis and this is the government’s response — I think is really cruel,” Mazier said Friday.

He said seniors, students and young families are being hammered with costs, and the budget has “absolutely no consideration” for them, calling it “very troubling.”

Both Westman MPs said they won’t support the budget.

At a press conference in Winnipeg on Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday’s budget makes Canadians “masters of our destiny,” which is the name of the 511-page budget document.

“In an increasingly turbulent world, Canada is determining our future,” Carney said.

“The budget is the next step of our ambitious and pragmatic and generational plan to make Canadians (masters of our destiny), building our sovereignty and giving us the freedom to live our lives as we choose.”

The $142.1 billion in new measures includes a focus on investing in small businesses and addressing homelessness.

The budget included two mentions of western Manitoba, including the Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion & Stampede in Austin. Among 19 other festivals nationwide, the budget said the Austin fair “could” receive additional funding in 2027-28, “subject to application to the fund.”

An official with the festival said it has applied for funding next year, though no answer has been provided.

Mazier, whose riding covers Austin, said the budget document’s wording was “very interesting,” but that it’s “a very good thing” if the event does receive support.

He also said he likes part of the section on capital gains, as proposed changes could help support the economy as a whole instead of just Ottawa.

The other reference to Westman was the $42.8-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank for water and wastewater infrastructure in Brandon previously announced in 2024. The loan is to make room for approximately 2,300 homes.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said Friday afternoon that while he hasn’t yet had the chance to take a good look at the federal budget, he is happy to see the CIB loan continue to be listed.

Jackson said while the city “absolutely” needs that help, he thinks the governing Liberals could have done better for Brandon.

“The fact that that’s all the Liberals had for Brandon in this federal budget is extremely disappointing to me,” he said.

Jackson said some positives of the budget include tax measures for small- and medium-sized businesses, and better wages for Armed Forces personnel.

» alambert@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press