Carney won’t say what Canadians must “sacrifice” for budget

Prime Minister Mark Carney avoided answering what he is calling on Canadians to “sacrifice” with his upcoming budget plan.

Source: Facebook (Mark Carney)

Prime Minister Mark Carney avoided answering what he is calling on Canadians to “sacrifice” with his upcoming budget plan.

During a speech ahead of the Liberals’ federal budget given to students in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney told Canadians, “We won’t transform our economy easily or in a few months, it will take some sacrifices and it will take some time.” Just a day later in Bowmanville, Ontario, Carney avoided answering what sacrifices he expects Canadians to make.

He began answering the question of what things he warned Canadians will “have to do less of” during his remarks again on Thursday, but quickly pivoted, saying he’ll save those announcements for when the budget is released.

Conservatives have been calling on Carney to release a budget since he was elected. Carney has promised the budget will be released on November 4.

“We’ll have a budget, and all aspects of the budget will reveal that we’ll have to move more slowly on certain aspects of— you know what? I think we should, why don’t I not scoop the budget and we’ll let it come out through the budget,” Carney told reporters.

Carney promised to continue funding federal health transfers to provinces for their healthcare systems, childcare support, dental care, and the National School Food Program, to help “the most vulnerable” in Canadian society.

“There’s certain demands or desires to expand in different areas, and we won’t be able to move as quickly as we otherwise would, because there’s certain things we must do to take back control and to build this country,” Carney said.

Carney also said that he would take “good ideas” from opposition parties and incorporate them into the budget.

“This will be a bold budget, and we invite the opposition parties and members of parliament to stand up for Canada and to support the budget going forward,” Carney said.

During a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blasted Carney’s speech, noting that it was made in front of an audience of university students.

“Instead of saying, given that things are so bad, we Liberals are going to reverse course on all of the policies of inflation, of blocking home building, of standing in the way of resource projects. Instead of that, he asked young people to make more sacrifices,” Poilievre said. “This was the sacrifice speech to Canadian youth, and he said it’s going to take lots of time to reverse all the damage.”

Poilievre gave a message to Carney saying that Canada’s youth have “sacrificed enough.”

“They are living in their parents’ basement well into their 30s. Their rent has roughly doubled. And in fact, the most recent inflation data says that it’s up another 4 per cent, the purchasing power of their paycheques is down,” he said. “More of their money goes to taxes than into food, clothing and shelter combined; they are no longer safe on their streets after Liberal bail has unleashed crime and chaos everywhere.”

He noted government policies have stunted resource development projects, which would help Canada’s economy recover from the decade of Liberal government policies.

“My message to Canadian youth is this: you have sacrificed enough under this Liberal government. You don’t have to live like this,” Poilievre said. “We can turn the hurt of the last decade into the hope of the future, and we have a plan to do it.”