Cariboo Prince-George Conservative MP Todd Doherty and Cariboo Chilcotin Liberal MLA Donna Barnett said they were disappointed in the 2016 Federal Budget.
“Today is a dark dark day,” Doherty said from Ottawa after the budget was delivered Tuesday. “I’m incredibly disappointed, I think the Liberals have focused on friends in big cities and high places and forgot about rural Canada.”
Doherty said his biggest concern was the impact on families the new budget will have.
“They are taking away the fitness and arts credit, post-secondary text book credit, and they’ve eliminated the income-splitting for couples with children,” he said. “They are also borrowing $30 billion today and up to $113 billion over their term.”
The only job creation plan he can see in the budget is high-speed transit, which will do nothing for the Cariboo and Prince George region.
Barnett said rural B.C. has been forgotten in the budget.
“I really don’t see anything for our region,” she said. “I see infrastructure funding but it’s targeted toward urban centres for rapid transit.”
Barnett and Doherty were also dismayed the budget didn’t have anything for small business, they said.
“During the election the Liberals campaigned on a promise to lower small business tax and they haven’t,” Doherty said.
The government has failed to get people back to work, Doherty added, noting there are 1.4 million people out of work today in Canada.
As the region’s MP he continues to encourage the government to not lose focus on rural Canada and getting people back to work, he said.
Recently he met with a Williams Lake man who is travelling to Guyana to work for three weeks at a time because of uncertainty in the local mining industry.
Barnett said she hopes the $8.374 billion committed over five years announced to help improve the lives of for First Nations will come to the region.
Doherty said he was cautious about the funding for First Nations because he didn’t see any plan in place.
“I questioned the minister because I believe she means well, but in the best interest of all there has to be a plan and financial accountability. We don’t want to see failed outcomes in four years.”
Tsilhqot’in National Government Chair Chief Joe Alphonse, however, welcomed the budget, especially the increased funding to help First Nations.
“The majority of First Nations reserves are like third world communities,” Alphonse said Wednesday. “Some don’t have adequate drinking water.”
He faulted the Conservatives for not doing First Nations any favours when they were in power.
“This budget, with its commitment to First Nations, is long over due,” he said. “First Nations wouldn’t be fighting so hard in court if we were on par with the rest of Canadians.”
Money for Canada comes from resource extraction and First Nations should be benefiting, he added.
“I think this budget makes us feel more a part of Canada,” Alphonse said.