Praise, criticism following Kinew government’s 2025 budget

CTV’s Jeff Keele has more on the Manitoba government tabling the 2025 budget and what Manitobans should expect amid tariff uncertainty.

The Kinew government’s newly tabled budget sparked rounds of praise and criticism Thursday.

The budget projected two different deficits based on whether tariffs will be implemented on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2.

The deficit ranges from $794 million at the end of the fiscal year if tariffs are not in place to over $1.8 million if they are.

Here is a roundup of some of the key budgetary reactions from across the province.

Labour federation praises focus on local jobs

The Manitoba Federation of Labour praised the budget for its inclusion of a jobs agreement which aims to ensure Manitobans are hired first as workers on critical infrastructure projects.

“The Manitoba Jobs Agreement will help to end the scourge of out-of-province license plates at construction sites across our province,” MFL president Kevin Rebeck said in a news release.

Rebeck also touted the budget’s increased focus on worker training and its push to add more health and safety inspectors.

More housing commitments needed: advocate

The Right to Housing Coalition said it is pleased the government has expanded its commitment to creating affordable housing but believes more is needed.

The budget promised to boost the social and affordable housing supply by 670 units with rents geared to household income. However, the organization said 980 new units are needed to help prevent homelessness and address housing insecurity.

“While this government is on the right path, we need to see even bolder investments in future budgets to prevent us falling further behind,” Shauna MacKinnon, a spokesperson for the coalition, said in a statement.

CUPE Manitoba praises push to strengthen public service

Manitoba’s largest union said the province’s budget offers a contrast to the United States, where programs and service cuts are happening under the Trump government.

“The Manitoba government is making a choice, and that is to stand with the province’s public services and the workers who provide them,” CUPE Manitoba President Gina McKay said in a statement.

McKay specifically noted funding to address health-care worker shortages and strengthening public childcare as highlights of the 2025 budget.

CTF warns of ‘bracket creep’ that could cost taxpayers millions

The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (CTF) said the decision to stop indexing income tax brackets and the basic personal amount to inflation is ‘bracket creep’ - a sneaky way of hiking taxes.

“Because of bracket creep, inflation can automatically bump taxpayers into a higher tax bracket and raise their taxes even though they can’t actually afford to buy more because prices have gone up,” the organization said in a statement.

CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich said the move will cost taxpayers $82 million this year.

“The government should be cutting taxes to help Manitobans deal with the rising cost of living, not hiking taxes,” he said in a news release. “It’s the worst time for the government to start taking more money out of Manitobans’ pockets through bracket creep.”

The CTF also criticized the budget for increasing Manitoba’s debt by $1 billion.

-With files from CTV’s Devon McKendrick