SASKATOON – POLITICS 2.0 – As former U.S. President Donald Trump resurfaces on the global stage with renewed threats of trade wars, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is sounding the alarm over Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s pledge to balance Canada’s operating budget within three years—a move Singh says will trigger $43 billion in cuts to critical public services.
Citing internal NDP analysis backed by Parliamentary Budget Officer projections, Singh emphasized that balancing the budget under Carney’s timeline would disproportionately impact transfers to provinces—particularly health care, education, and social supports.
“Mark Carney’s plan would mean fewer nurses, longer wait times, and even more pressure on families already stretched to the limit,” Singh said in Saskatoon.
For Saskatchewan, that could mean up to $300 million slashed from health care, equivalent to roughly 3,000 nursing positions—a stark warning as provinces already struggle with staffing shortages. Singh argues this austerity approach is “tone-deaf” in the context of rising living costs and growing uncertainty over Canada-U.S. trade under a possible Trump presidency.
Liberal Response: Fiscal Responsibility vs. Fear-Mongering?
Carney’s camp contends that fiscal discipline is necessary to ensure long-term economic stability, and that future spending will be targeted rather than reckless. In an interview with CBC’s Rosie Barton, Carney reiterated his belief in phasing in budgetary balance without compromising essential services, though he has not ruled out cuts to transfers or direct program spending.
Critics, however—including some economists—warn that balancing the budget in a high-interest rate environment without raising taxes leaves few options beyond slashing federal supports to provinces.
Conservative Contrasts: No Cuts Promise—But Deep Deregulation
Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has seized on the Liberal-NDP fiscal clash to present himself as the champion of working Canadians—though his platform lacks the same level of fiscal specificity as Carney’s.
Poilievre has promised to cut “wasteful spending” and fire hundreds of thousands of federal bureaucrats, while lowering taxes and reducing the cost of living through housing deregulation and opposition to carbon pricing. However, the Conservative platform does not commit to a balanced budget within a set timeframe, leaving questions about whether similar cuts to services may arise by other means.
“Only Pierre Poilievre’s Common Sense Conservatives will bring home lower prices, safe streets, and powerful paycheques—without higher taxes or gutting services,” a Conservative spokesperson claimed this week.
NDP Position: Invest in Services, Make the Wealthy Pay
Singh offers a third path, rejecting both austerity and deregulation. The NDP is pitching:
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Universal Pharmacare and Dental Care, fully public and federally funded
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National rent control legislation
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A family doctor for every Canadian
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Grocery price caps and consumer protections
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Tax reforms targeting corporate profits and the ultra-wealthy
Rather than slashing spending, Singh proposes increasing revenues through progressive taxation—ensuring the wealthiest “pay their fair share” while preserving and expanding core public services.
“Every real win for working people—dental care, Pharmacare, safer workplaces—came from electing New Democrats,” Singh said.
Thunder Bay Impact: Budget Choices with Local Consequences
For residents in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario, the stakes are real. Health care transfers fund local hospitals and community care centres. Cuts to provincial funding could mean longer ER wait times at Thunder Bay Regional, fewer community health programs, and increased strain on local services already stretched thin by staffing shortages and rising demand.
