Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are asking Parliament to approve half a trillion dollars in spending without committee oversight, without ministers being able to answer even simple questions in the House and without a budget. The Parliamentary Budget Officer stated that the deficit could be as high as $20 billion more than originally projected and that legislators must risk placing even more faith in the government than usual because there is no budget.
Sure, we should put more faith in a government that promises a significantly reduced consulting spending but is increasing it to $26 billion this year for their friends, such as those at McKinsey. Sure, we should put more faith in a government that promised a 2% spending cap increase, yet is increasing it by 8%.
If the Liberals continue this way and do not present a budget until spring, it will have been at least a year since the last budget, the longest period since the sixties, outside COVID. Canada needs a budget now to control inflation, reduce deficit, stop tax hikes and reverse the lost decade of Liberal failure.