July 2, 2016
TORONTO, ONTARIO — Official Opposition Health Critic Colin Carrie and Official Opposition Finance Critic Lisa Raitt are warning middle-class families that the Liberal government’s out-of-control spending will result in more tax hikes or cuts to health care.
Last Tuesday the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) issued a report that said public finances in Canada have become unsustainable due to permanent increases in federal spending and ongoing provincial shortfalls. The PBO pointed to health care as the greatest challenge facing future government budgets.
“The Liberal government’s reckless spending shows a complete disregard for the fact that the costs of health care keep rising,” said Carrie. “The PBO’s findings confirm that the Liberal’s out-of-control spending is causing public debt to grow uncontrollably, and he is sounding the alarm about how governments will pay for essential health care services in the future.”
The PBO report comes as the Liberal government plans to run deficits worth more than $100 billion over the next four years.
“Provinces and territories will eventually need more money for health care, but at this rate the Liberal government won’t have anything left to give them. That means they’ll either have to raise taxes on Canadians or cut their health care services,” added Raitt.
The PBO estimates that in order to meet health care costs and keep public debt under control, governments will need to collectively hike taxes or cut spending by $11 billion per year.
“One way or another, Canadians are going to foot the bill for Liberal mismanagement,” concluded Carrie. “In just six months, the Liberals have already raised taxes on middle-class families, students and small business owners.”
