Dan Albas: Examples that point towards increased household debt ... in order to access the benefits of the programs ... that themselves are being offered by a $19.8 billion deficit budget
The challenge with many of the programs on offer in this budget is the fine print! In last week’s report I provided some highlights on the recent 2019 budget and asked citizens if they liked what they saw in the budget so far. I also made a commitment to share my own thoughts on this budget as an opposition Member of Parliament. Most critics have labelled this budget as an ‘ election year goodies ’ budget that targets certain voting demographics that the Liberals hope will translate to votes in the October election. While I do not disagree with that sentiment, I would submit that most every sitting government in an election year tables a budget that it believes will be politically popular. My concern with this budget is somewhat different. As you may have heard, household debt levels here in Canada are at an all-time high. Household debt as a percentage of gross income in 2016 was 166%. In January of this year (2019) it has now increased to 17...