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Red Deer – Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins not impressed by first federal budget in 2 years

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This is what happens when people think budgets balance themselves.

Monday, Justin Trudeau released his 2021 budget, his first in two years, which introduces risky and untested economic schemes that will harm the personal financial security of Canadians by strangling job growth and raising taxes on hardworking Canadian families. It is most certainly not a balanced budget.
As a Member of Parliament from Alberta, I have some serious concerns about this budget and its impact on this province and the people that I represent.
Once again, there is nothing in this budget that addresses the increasing rates of rural crime in our province and across the country. Canadians are being victimized regularly and this government continues to turn a blind eye.
The budget also fails to properly support our agriculture sector and focuses primarily on climate issues. Farmers have for generations been the stewards of our land. Budget 2021 fails to recognize their important contributions to our environment, such as zero till and low till, and reward them for it. Rather than adopt Conservative Bill C-206 and exempt farm fuel from the full burden of the Carbon Tax they are only giving back a pittance of what farmers pay to run their farms and important implements such as grain dryers.
Budget 2021 contains nothing for our oil and gas sector, other than decelerating the capital cost allowance on technologies used in this sector, thereby further discouraging investment. It’s interesting to note that the word “pipeline” is mentioned 5 times in the budget, but not a single instance is related to the energy sector.
Unemployed Canadians hoping to see a plan to create new jobs and economic opportunities for their families are going to feel let down.
Workers who have had their wages cut and hours slashed hoping to see a plan to reopen the economy are going to feel let down.
Families that can’t afford more taxes and are struggling to save more money for their children’s education or to buy a home are going to feel let down.
While I am very concerned about what is not in the budget, I am also very concerned about what is in the budget. It seems to me that Budget 2021 is increasing and encouraging dependency on the government at a time when we should be concerned about strengthening our economy and securing our nation.
After celebrating a deficit of only $354.2 billion in 2020/21, the Liberals are excited to announce an additional deficit of $154.7 billion for 2021/22. In fact, Trudeau’s projections show that the federal debt load will nearly double to $1.4 trillion by 2026, up from $721 billion before the pandemic. With Budget 2021, Government debt will exceed 100% GDP. They have abandoned any fiscal anchors at all. It remains unfathomable to me that the Liberal government continues to mothball the oil and gas sector, the economic driver of our nation in favour of increasing financial burden on Canadians.
As I only received this budget at the same time as the rest of Canada, I will be spending the next few days reviewing this massive 724-page document.
Make no mistake, Budget 2021 is an election budget, but only if Justin Trudeau needs your vote.

Business

After successful anti-American election campaign, Carney pivots to embrace US: Hails Trump as a “transformational president”

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Quick Hit:

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday and praised the American leader as a “transformational president” with a relentless focus on workers, border security, and combatting fentanyl.

Key Details:

  • In front of reporters in the Oval Office, Carney said Trump was “focused on the economy, with a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your borders… ending the scourge of fentanyl and other opioids, and securing the world.”

  • The newly elected Canadian leader said he intends to implement a similar agenda in Canada, including heightened attention to border security, defense, and Arctic development.

  • Despite past trade friction between the two countries, Carney voiced confidence in the future of U.S.-Canada relations, stating, “We’re stronger when we work together… I look forward to addressing some of those issues that we have.”

Diving Deeper:

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered striking praise for President Donald Trump during a Tuesday visit to the White House, calling him a “transformational president” who has reshaped the global conversation on the economy, national security, and public health. Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Carney lauded the president’s focus on protecting American workers, confronting the fentanyl crisis, and reinforcing the nation’s borders.

“You’re a transformational president, focused on the economy, with a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your borders… ending the scourge of fentanyl and other opioids, and securing the world,” Carney told Trump.

According to Carney, many of the issues central to Trump’s presidency were also top concerns for Canadian voters. “I’ve been elected… with the help of my colleagues here, I’m going to spread the credit, to transform Canada with a similar focus on the economy, securing our borders, again, on fentanyl, much greater focus on defense and security, securing the Arctic and developing the Arctic,” he said.

Though the two leaders were cordial, the backdrop of their meeting carried a history of trade disputes. Early in Trump’s second term, his administration imposed tariffs on Canadian goods—a move that prompted retaliatory measures from then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Still, Carney emphasized cooperation and struck a hopeful tone, noting that the U.S.-Canada relationship has endured challenges before.

“The history of Canada and the U.S. is we’re stronger when we work together, and there’s many opportunities to work together,” Carney said. “I look forward to addressing some of those issues that we have, but also finding those areas of mutual cooperation so we can go forward.”

President Trump, for his part, congratulated Carney on his election and offered warm words of welcome. “I want to just congratulate you. That was a great election, actually,” Trump said. “We were watching it with interest, and I think Canada chose a very talented person, a very good person… it’s an honor to have you at the White House and the Oval Office.”

The meeting marked Carney’s first official trip to Washington since taking office and served as an early sign that the two North American leaders may chart a path of renewed collaboration—grounded in shared priorities of national strength and economic growth.

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Daily Caller

Misguided Climate Policies Create ‘Real Energy Emergency’ And Permit China To Dominate US

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Mariane Angela

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum warned on Fox Business Tuesday about America’s deepening energy shortfall and said that misguided climate policies could give China the upper hand in both the global energy race and artificial intelligence development.

House lawmakers voted 246-164, with support from 35 Democrats, to overturn a Biden-era EPA rule that lets California enforce a de facto national ban on gas-powered cars by 2035. During an appearance on “Kudlow,” Burgum said that U.S. energy shortfalls could allow China to outpace America in artificial intelligence and other power-hungry technologies.

“The real energy emergency that we have right now is that we don’t have enough energy in this country. We’re losing the AI arms race to China, and we’ve got to have more energy and more power right now in the country. And so that’s one of the things that we’re focused on right now,” Burgum told host Larry Kudlow.

Burgum blasted California’s aggressive emissions standards, which he said have effectively become national policy.

WATCH:

“Let’s start with California, Larry. That would be a great idea, because there’s 14 other states that followed California. So basically we’re stuck right now. Automakers feel like they’ve got to build two kinds of cars in America, one for California standards and one for the rest of the country,” Burgum said. “Of course, we know that the California standards are based on a bunch of falsehoods around emissions, because if we want zero carbon fuels, it’s much cheaper.”

Burgum took particular aim at electric vehicle subsidies, calling them a boondoggle built on climate ideology. He also called electric vehicle subsidies economically reckless since the cost of avoiding a single ton of carbon dioxide exceeds $900.

“It’s 10 to 15 times cheaper to have zero carbon liquid fuels than it is to subsidize EVs. The EV subsidies, where the real bank was, the thing that was really breaking the bank, over $900 for an avoided tonus of CO2, and all of that built around climate ideology,” Burgum said.

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. John Joyce introduced a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to stop California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate, which several other states have adopted. If the Senate doesn’t act, the Environmental Protection Agency would face a lengthy rulemaking process to reverse the policy that will allow California’s stricter standards to remain in effect for years.

The states that have opted in to California’s auto rules include Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

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