So where do we go from here? The big vote in the House of Commons on May 19 was 152-152. The budget passed on a tie-breaking vote. What does it mean to the average person in Canada? What does it mean to you and me in Saskatoon-Humboldt? Well, really not that much.

The budget that was passed in the House of Commons is a budget that doesn’t make that many real changes. The changes that it does make tend to have strings attached.

Agriculture policy is the same as before. No new money and nothing to make the aid more efficient and timelier. The tax cut of $16 per year will probably go through, but there won’t be any new relief for taxpayers. The infrastructure spending will go ahead, but there will be severe strings attached. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects are not eligible for large portions of the money, because they do not fit the environmental criteria the government has set out.

So was I disappointed that the budget was not defeated? Yes I was. The budget was not good for Saskatchewan. It was particularly bad for rural Saskatchewan. I ran for public office because I wanted to push forward some changes. I wanted to scrap the gun registry, change agriculture policy, and make sure tax dollars were spent wisely. Those were my goals, and none of them were met. Hopefully, these changes will come some day. I promise to keep working to achieve them.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament, and I welcome your feedback. Write or call my offices.