The BC Greens have accused the federal government of failing to tackle the "root cause" of the affordability crisis in Budget 26.
Leader and MLA-elect Emily Lowan argued that the "central banker's budget" tabled by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team would benefit the wealthy while doing little for the working class.
"Carney’s corporate welfare will not trickle down to everyday British Columbians — it will continue to enrich the billionaire class and foreign shareholders," she wrote in a statement. "Let’s not lose sight of what this budget could have been: public grocery stores, social housing at scale, and public healthcare we can count on."
Among the things Lowan drew attention to was what Ottawa labelled "productivity mega deductions," which will reduce the marginal effective tax rate on new business investment from 13% to 6.4% in hopes of attracting more investment — at an estimated fiscal cost of $36 billion over five years.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has estimated that $10.6 billion of that will go to oil and gas companies.
"In a time of tremendous economic hardship, it’s appalling to see Prime Minister Carney do nothing to take on the extreme wealth of the billionaire class and mega-corporations, and back pedal on concrete action to build an affordable country for working people," Lowan lamented.
Her sentiments were shared by federal Greens leader Elizabeth May and NDP leader Avi Lewis, both of whom had advocated for more affordability measures.
"The masters of our destiny in Budget 2026 is not you and your family, it’s members of the billionaire class that the prime minister invited to his investment summit," Lewis said, alluding to the title of the document, "Maîtres chez nous."
Jarryd Jäger
Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson, on the other hand, had a very different reaction to the budget, calling it "encouraging and ambitious."
""We look forward to deepening our collaboration on ferries, transportation, and infrastructure as well," he said. "We recognize that no single federal budget can address every single priority across the country, but we're genuinely encouraged — I'm optimistic about what we can accomplish together: more jobs, more investment, stronger communities, greater affordability."
