Budget 2019: Trudeau's Liberals Put Richest Corporations Ahead of People and Canadians are Paying the Price

OTTAWA – Today was Justin Trudeau's last chance to deliver a budget that puts Canadians first. Instead, Canadians received a budget that maintains business as usual and continues massive giveaways to big corporations while people are struggling to make ends meet. Trudeau's Liberals had a golden opportunity to show Canadians they are on their side – to repair the damage of decades of Conservative and Liberal cuts to services – and they clearly missed the mark.

"This budget shows how disconnected Trudeau's Liberals are from Canadians' everyday reality. There is no sense of urgency to act on skyrocketing housing costs, unaffordable childcare, expensive prescription drug costs and senior poverty rates," said Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the NDP. "Canadians were counting on this Liberal government to meet their basic needs, and sadly, they were let down. We will have the courage to make different choices.”

New Democrats believe that it takes courage to solve the problems Canadians face. The wealthiest corporations have had it too good for too long. It's time for Canadians to have someone on their side. They need a government that puts them first by securing affordable housing, implementing a single-payer universal public pharmacare, improving healthcare for everyone and making sure that post-secondary education is not a debt sentence.

Canadians deserve more than a government that is relying on the “good faith” of corporations to protect their pensions. Indigenous communities deserve more than a government that refuses to tackle the housing crisis on-reserve.

"The Liberals' habit of giving special treatment to web giants and rich corporations is hurting Canadians. In today's budget, Justin Trudeau had a last chance to deliver on people's basic needs, and he failed,” stressed Peter Julian, NDP Finance Critic. "It’s not middle class working people that win with this budget, it’s their bosses. It’s time for Canadians to have a government that will make child care, medication, housing and post-secondary education affordable for all.”