MP Zimmer calls 2021 federal budget “concerning”

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C – The federal government unveiled its first budget in two years on Monday, reporting a $354 billion deficit this past year and plans for an additional $101.4 billion in new spending.

MP Bob Zimmer is calling the plan a “spend, spend, pre-election budget” and says taxpayers will feel the brunt of the increasing debt.

“The sad part is this government is using your credit card and racking up your mortgage bill to spend how they want to spend it. Meanwhile, Canadians are very tight-fisted with their money right now, trying to survive, and the government is spending all your money for you,” says Zimmer.

The feds focused on childcare by announcing $30-billion over five years and $ 8.3 billion per year after that to create and sustain a national child care program. The goal is to offset early learning and childcare services with child care costing $10 a day by 2025. Other highlights include COVID-19 support programs being extended, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and $17.6 billion for green recovery.

Zimmer believes the announcements are a “good try to make good out of a bad situation” but doesn’t think it’s good news for anybody in Canada.

“Constituents that I talked to every day, they don’t want to get handouts anymore. They want to return to normal, so they want to get back to work.”

Zimmer also believes the budget was lacking infrastructure funding.

“Especially at a time in crisis, when things are down, when the economy drops a bit, that’s the time to build much-needed infrastructure because it prepares you for a successful future.”

The feds also announced $285 million for northern infrastructure, which Zimmer mentions is around the cost to replace the Taylor bridge.

“We’ve been pushing hard locally to keep that on the top of the minister’s desk in Victoria and also Ottawa. But we haven’t seen any signals that they’re even looking at it as a budget item or anything like that. So we’ll keep pushing until we finally see it as a budget item.”

A new tax of 10 to 20 per cent was announced for luxury cars and aircraft worth over $100,000 and luxury boats over $250,000.

“People in urban Canada might see that as a luxury vehicle, but up in our neck of the woods is that’s a work truck. So people that just want to buy a truck to go to work now are going to be slapped with a luxury tax, unfortunately.”

The NDP have signalled that they will support the budget, halting plans for an upcoming election, says Zimmer. The government required support from one opposition party to avoid a spring election.