There are some positive measures, but the budget falls short in too many areas that matter most to Canadians. Since Budget Day, our caucus has pressed the government to strengthen their budget. We brought forward clear, achievable proposals, including on jobs, housing, affordability, Indigenous rights, health care, climate action, and public services. The Liberals refused to make the changes needed.
Jobs: The government talks about economic growth and infrastructure, but it does not provide the kind of public investment needed to create stable, well-paid, long-term jobs. Too much depends on private good-will instead of a clear national strategy to build the workforce we need. Workers are being asked to wait for benefits that may never arrive.
Affordability and housing: The government broke its own promise to treat housing like the emergency it is, offering less than half of what they promised in the most recent election. Without a strong public build strategy and real protections for renters, affordability will continue to get worse.
Indigenous rights: The budget cuts base funding for Indigenous Services Canada and Crown‑Indigenous Relations by 2 percent, totaling billions over the next few years. Programs for children, including parts of Jordan’s Principle and the Inuit Child First Initiative will also face cuts after 2026. There is no new funding for education, health, or housing.
Health: Health care is already stretched to the breaking point. The budget offers short-term funding but fails to address the long-term structural gaps that are driving longer wait times, staffing shortages, and burnout. There is no clear plan to recruit and retain health workers, expand primary care, or support services like mental health and long-term care that families rely on.
Pharmacare and dental care: The government promised to expand both, but this budget fails to do that. Only four provinces and territories have signed pharmacare deals, leaving most Canadians outside the program’s first phase. There is no additional money to bring more jurisdictions on board. On dental care, the funding remains inadequate and uneven, with Canadians in rural and remote communities struggling to get care. Without stronger investment and a national push, these programs risk becoming patchwork solutions instead of the universal supports they were meant to be.
Environment: The budget fails to protect our natural heritage and meet Canada’s 30 by 2030 conservation targets. It favours oil and gas incentives while cutting programs that create jobs protecting forests, wetlands, and wildlife. By underfunding conservation and environmental stewardship, it threatens ecosystems, the good jobs Canadians rely on, and Canada’s long-term international competitiveness in a global green economy.
Public service cuts: The budget cuts tens of thousands of public service jobs. These are the people who process EI claims, immigration files, veterans’ supports, environmental reviews, food inspections, and health and social benefits. Cutting these jobs will slow down service delivery, make backlogs worse, and weaken the programs Canadians count on. Already,Canadians cannot get the services they need. Massive cuts will not help.
International Development: This budget makes a deeply troubling cut to Canada’s global role by slashing $2.7 billion from our international assistance envelope over the next four years. At a time when the world feels less safe and humanitarian needs are growing, this reduction undermines Canada’s leadership on global health, development, and security.
This budget was a chance to show leadership and put people first. Instead, it offers small steps when Canadians need significant action. I will keep building and working to deliver on a plan that supports affordable homes, good jobs, strong public services, true partnership with Indigenous communities, better health care, expanded pharmacare and dental care, sustainable climate action, and real economic fairness.