MP Arnold criticizes ballooning deficit in federal budget

Nov 4, 2025 | 4:34 PM

A local Member of Parliament that used to represent the North Okanagan says the 2025 Federal Budget comes with an unacceptable deficit.

Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and Finance Minister, Francois-Phillipe Champagne, tabled the federal budget in the House of Commons Tuesday, Nov. 4, with a deficit of $78.3-billion for the 2025-26 fiscal year and a projection of having that reduced to $56.8-billion by 2029-30.

Those figures were not well received by Mel Arnold, MP for Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

“In 2015-2016, Canada’s federal deficit was $0.987-billion and since then the federal deficit has averaged $71.28-billion annually through 2024-25,” Arnold said in a written response to the budget.

“The $78-billion deficit announced in today’s budget is a reckless continuation of the Liberal approach of living beyond our means and today’s budget will predictably devalue the dollars Canadians work to earn and inflate prices Canadians are forced to pay.”

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The budget included promises to invest in infrastructure, manufacturing and production industries, defence and housing. Arnold said while those were “aspirational goals,” he was critical.

“It is hard to trust the government’s word on how another major deficit will be effectively spent after a decade of similar budget presentations and deficits that have left Canadians struggling with increasing costs of living.”

Critics have said the budget does not include affordability measures to put money back in Canadian’s pockets, such as addressing grocery prices, and Arnold agreed with that notion, stating “food inflation has skyrocketed to double the Bank of Canada’s target, food prices are increasing nearly 40 per cent faster in Canada than in the U.S.” He also criticized the housing investment, saying he did not believe it would lead to more homes being built.

“I was elected by the voters of Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies to be their voice in Ottawa, and I will continue to advocate for the laws, policies, and resources required to enhance stability, security, and opportunity in our communities and region,” Arnold concluded.

“I will also continue to advocate for the needs and priorities of our communities and use every possible opportunity to work with the government to improve their approaches and policies for the sake of all Canadians.”

Scott Anderson, MP for Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee, did not issue a statement or respond to a request for a comment from Vernon Matters following the budget being tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday.

With files from the Canadian Press.

by Liam Verster

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