Randy Hoback during Question Period in the House early 2020 before the COVID pandemic. (Christian Diotte, House of Commons Photo Services)

By Glenn Hicks

strained coffers

Hoback reacts to ‘wow’ federal budget spending

Apr 20, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert MP, Conservative Randy Hoback, is happy to see a federal election appears unlikely in response to the Liberal budget handed down Monday.

As he and others try to digest the enormous 739-page document – the first national budget in two years – Hoback says with the COVID numbers escalating across Ontario and Quebec that would be irresponsible.

“With the possibility of a third wave, to say we’re going to put people through the polls in that situation I think Canadians would be really upset by that,” Hoback told paNOW.

It would appear the chances of an early election this year are very small given NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has reiterated his party is not interested in triggering a vote in the midst of the escalating COVID cases. It would need all opposition parties to reject the budget to force Justin Trudeau to return to the ballot box. And on a purely political level Hoback isn’t surprised by the New Democrats.

“The NDP have been voting with the Liberals on anything and everything, in fact I can’t tell the difference between the two anymore,” he said. “They’re one and the same – two peas in a pod.”

A long time coming

Max Clunie Field, Harry Jerome Track re-open with ceremony following lengthy renovations

18h ago

Honouring greats

Roy Shivers, Darian Durant to be enshrined in Riders' Plaza of Honour

22h ago

International Spotlight

Rudolph, Boychuk named to Canada White at 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge

Oct 10, 2024

When asked about the size of the budget deficit and spending plans Hoback’s response was ‘wow, they’re spending a lot of money and we’re just trying to digest where and how it’s going to be spent.”

The budget features a $354 billion deficit from the pandemic year and a $155 billion deficit for the year to come.

Daycare

Among the highlights from Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is $30 billion over the next five years, and $8.3 billion ongoing for early learning and child care and Indigenous early learning and child care. The plan would aim to see an average drop in fees next year by 50 per cent for preschooler daycare spaces and an average of $10-a-day care by 2026.

Hoback said while he supports any plans to help women get back into the workforce he said past Conservative Party plans to offer money directly to families so they could decide how to spend it on childcare gave more options and freedom and added $10-a-day childcare has been promised and spoke about for decades with no real movement.

Luxury tax

Another part of the Liberal plan aimed at getting money back into the coffers is a new tax on the sales, for personal use, of luxury cars and personal aircraft with a retail sales price over $100,000, and boats, for personal use, over $250,000. Hoback isn’t sure this will amount to much.

“If you’re wealthy enough to afford that you’re usually buying it through your company so it’s not clear in my mind if they’d actually pay it anyway. The devil is in the detail as to how they’d implement that program.”

–

With files from The Canadian Press

glenn.hicks@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow