There's a sense of concern among local opposition MPs, as the federal government prepares to release its first budget. Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has announced the budget will be presented March 22nd, with a projected deficit of $18 billion. That's not sitting well with those in the area, including Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen, who's concerned with how major deficits, and a proposed carbon tax, will impact future investors' opinions of the country.

"They're going to look at Canada and say 'If we're going to take a risk, it won't be there because we can't trust this current Liberal government to keep the Canadian economy strong.' That will have an effect on Canadian jobs. The other concern is the prospect of raising taxes on Canadians. The Liberals are now talking about a federal carbon tax. That ends up just being a way for governments to fill their coffers, and isn't proven to have any effect on reducing GHGs (greenhouse gas emissions)."

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Robert Sopuck's also concerned with the major increase in deficits, especially since the Liberals promised a deficit of only $10 billion and offered assurances the budget would be balanced

Robert Sopuckafter four years. He's concerned the federal government isn't taking the cost of their promises into account, which would put the cost of covering these deficits on Canadians in the future.

"The Liberals talked about a $10 billion deficit and now it's up to 18. The Prime Minister talked about balancing the budget at the end of this term and now he's backed away from this commitment. I know that a lot of this stuff seems to be long-term, but it eventually catches up to you. People should liken government to their own households, and this idea that you can spend yourself rich simply doesn't work."

Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman MP James Bezan says it's not a revenue generation problem, it's a spending problem. He says when the Liberals took over government, the Conservatives

James Bezanhad left a surplus on the books, and corporate income taxes had increased late last year. He says far too many promises are being made before even releasing the budget. Bezan says one of their concerns is that much of this funding is going overseas, citing the federal government's multi-billion dollar contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries.

"The sad part of it is those dollars going over there, there isn't any accountability to ensure Canadian taxpayer dollars are being used in a proper manner. Secondly, we're not even sure if it's going to do anything to change greenhouse gas emissions. Those dollars definitely don't do a single thing to change greenhouse gas emissions here in Canada. If they were serious about reducing carbon output, they would invest those dollars back into our country, and by investing in our country you could also create jobs."

All three feel the Liberal government's spending is out of control, and aren't sure what to expect when the budget is presented next month.