KENORA – POLITICS – Eric Melillo, the Conservative MP for Kenora, says his party wants to see a federal budget that lowers taxes, reduces spending, and boosts housing supply. He says Canadians are feeling the pinch of rising inflation and need relief from the Liberal government.
The budget, which will be tabled by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on March 28th, is expected to outline the government’s plan for economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. Melillo says he hopes the Liberals will change course from their previous budgets that have increased taxes and deficits.
“Justin Trudeau’s policies have made life more expensive for Canadians. They are paying more for gas, groceries, and home heating. We need a budget that puts more money back in their pockets,” Melillo said in a statement.
The Conservatives are proposing a number of measures to lower taxes and stimulate growth, such as:
– Capping government spending by finding one dollar of savings for every dollar of new spending.
– Cutting taxes and deductions from paycheques so Canadians can keep more of their hard-earned money.
– Increasing the number of affordable houses by freeing up more land for development and speeding up building permits.
Melillo also emphasized the need for more housing in northwestern Ontario, where he says there are shortages of workers in various sectors. He says making homes more affordable and available will help attract and retain people in the region.
“We need more people in the northwest – healthcare workers, miners, tradespeople, in nearly every sector there are shortages. So we need to make homes more affordable and more plentiful if we are going to see our region grow,” he said.
The budget will be presented by Freeland on Tuesday, March 28th in the House of Commons. It will be followed by a confidence vote that could trigger an election if the Liberals fail to secure enough support from other parties.