Taxpayers group calls on PM Carney to table 2025 budget

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OTTAWA — Ottawa’s taxing decision to withhold a federal budget this year has some observers seeing red.

Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says the Liberal government’s decision to not table a 2025 federal budget is a bottom-line bad idea.

“Failing to even present a budget is a huge crack in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s credibility,” Terrazzano said.

“You can’t be credible with the finances if you can’t even bother to put together a budget.”

In comments made during the federal cabinet’s first meeting after being sworn in, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters that a 2025 budget would be a non-starter this year, and instead he plans to table a fall economic statement sometime after the summer.

No explanation was given.

Terrazzano’s call comes on the same day as the Ontario government provincial budget — less than two months after Doug Ford’s Conservatives won their most recent election.

Carney’s election platform will add an additional $225 billion in debt by 2029 — while the 2024 fall economic statement only proposed a $131-billion increase.

Carney brought reporters into the caucus room on Wednesday to demonstrably sign a piece of paper he claimed was a directive to enact a “middle-class tax cut” by July 1.

“Canadians have real concerns about the state of our national finances and the Carney government is answering with a shrug,” Terrazzano said.

“Taxpayers deserve to know the state of government finances and scrutinize government spending, so Carney owes Canadians a budget.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume