Federal budget: Failing grade from Council of Canadians

Federal budget pays billions in fossil fuel subsidies, fails to protect water

from Council of Canadians

Tuesday, the Trudeau government released its budget, committing $3.3 billion dollars in fossil fuel subsidies, $600 million for the G7 summit meeting, but failed to commit urgently needed funds to water protections. The budget also included a new federal review for a national pharmacare program, but did not allocate a single dollar to it.

The Liberal government did commit $172.6 million over three years to address drinking water advisories in First Nations, but this will not be enough to immediately secure Indigenous people’s right to clean, accessible water. The government also continues to champion water and climate endangering projects like the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which will send 890,000 barrels per day from the tar sands to B.C.’s coast.

In the Water Chapter of the Alternative Federal Budget, the Council of Canadians called on the Trudeau government to commit to keeping its election promises by producing a budget that protects every lake and every river and implements the human right to water.

Read more about the Council of Canadians’ concerns with the 2018 Federal Budget.