To the Editor,
The Liberal budget that passed on Monday of this week provides many reasons for concerns by Canadians aware of current and future issues.
Providing extra benefits for companies without having businesses share in paying for those benefits through an emergency surcharge on corporate income tax will unfairly add the costs of the greater deficit resulting from that decision. This will place a greater burden on workers for decades.
The decision to dramatically increase the purchase of fighter jets and fighter bombers without a justified present or future use of those weapons takes away tens of billions of dollars needed for climate mitigation, housing, post-secondary education, health care, and infrastructure. Dramatically increasing the size of our fleet of submarines without any rationalization with public input adds to that cost and will further reduce the capacity of government to provide for day-to-day security in terms of protection from climate related events and economic challenges.
The decision to fast track a controversial LNG plant when investors see a potential glut of LNG within the next 10 years shows either inadequate research or an eagerness to use public funds to reduce the risks for fossil fuel companies, in this case an American fossil fuel company.
The announcement this morning that the government will be signing a memorandum of understanding for construction of a pipeline similar to the Northern Gateway Pipeline and permitting tanker traffic on the hazardous northwest coast of BC shows flagrant disregard for Indigenous people and the environment.
There was nothing generation building in this budget, though it has potential for financially crippling coming generations. The only difference between this budget and a Poilievre budget is the size of cuts to the public service and programs to people like dental and pharma care.
I hope readers will take time to learn about the many harmful parts of this budget.
Sincerely,
Jim Kenney
