Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound MP Votes Against Federal Budget, Citing Local and National Impacts
BGOS MP Alex Ruff voted against the 2025 federal budget, raising concerns about agriculture, housing, federal debt, and impacts on local services.
Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound Member of Parliament Alex Ruff has voted against the federal government’s 2025 budget and its associated legislation, Bill C-15, citing concerns about its impact on local farmers, housing affordability, interlibrary loan programs, and national debt levels.
Ruff issued a statement on December 19 outlining his position on the budget and the Budget Implementation Act, referring to it as “the good, the very bad and the really ugly.”
Support for Farmers and the CAF
Among the positive elements, Ruff welcomed temporary enhancements to federal agricultural support programs, particularly AgriStability. The changes raise the compensation rate from 80% to 90% and increase the maximum payout from $3 million to $6 million for the 2025 program year.
He also noted a reversal of the government’s previously proposed increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, which had raised concerns in the farming sector.
“These were all measures local Bruce–Grey farmers have been asking to see happen,” Ruff said.
Ruff acknowledged new investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, including a pay raise for military personnel and upgrades to military capabilities, noting that these measures bring Canada “close to our 2% of GDP on defence spending.”
Criticism Over Taxes and Affordability
Ruff sharply criticized the budget for what he called inaction on affordability issues and rising costs. He referenced Statistics Canada’s November 26 report showing a $3.3 billion decline in realized net income for Canadian farmers in 2024—a 26% drop, the largest since 2018.
The report also highlighted a $1.4 billion fall in farm cash receipts and a 2.5% increase in operating costs, bringing total expenses to $78.5 billion. Farm debt increased by 14.1% over the same period, the largest annual rise since 1981.
“The Liberal government’s failure to cut taxes like the industrial carbon tax, the plastic food tax, and the new fuel tax is directly impacting the cost of food and affordability for Canadians,” Ruff said.
He also pointed to the December 2025 Consumer Price Index update, which showed grocery prices were 4.7% higher than in November 2024 and had increased 1.9% month-over-month—a spike Statistics Canada noted was “the largest month-over-month increase since January 2023.”
Housing and Budget Projections
Ruff voiced skepticism about the effectiveness of the government’s housing plan. Citing a report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), he said the Build Canada Homes initiative is projected to add only 5,200 new homes per year—far short of the federal government’s stated goal of 500,000.
“According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), the Liberal Build Canada Homes (BCH) bureaucracy will add just 5,200 homes per year, instead of the promised 500,000 new homes,” Ruff stated.
He also referenced PBO findings that “affordable” rents under the BCH program would be higher than many current market rents.
Concerns for Libraries and Accessibility
In a lesser-known clause of Bill C-15, Ruff noted the proposed removal of Canada Post’s reduced shipping rates for books and other materials sent between libraries or directly to users.
According to public reporting and library advocacy groups, this “library book rate” currently subsidizes about 90% of interlibrary loan shipments across Canada.
“This change would have significant consequences for blind and print-disabled Canadians, as well as for service providers and educators across the country,” Ruff said.
Fiscal Outlook and Constituency Feedback
Ruff raised alarm over long-term debt projections, citing Finance Canada figures that project $321.7 billion in new federal debt over five years—more than twice the $154.4 billion added under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a comparable period.
“What this means is that this budget adds $10 million to our debt, every hour,” Ruff said.
“The federal debt is now $1.35 trillion and interest on debt will be $55.6 billion for 2025–26, that is more than the Canada Health Transfer ($54.7 billion), and GST revenue ($54.4 billion), and amounts to $3,360 per Canadian household.”
He added that real GDP growth in 2025 was just 1.1%, the second lowest among G7 countries, and cited net capital outflows of $61.93 billion from the Canadian economy since January 2025.
Ruff said that constituent feedback played a significant role in his decision.
“These facts coupled with over 70% of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound constituents who reached out to me from all sides of the political spectrum telling me to vote against the budget made the decision to vote against it easy,” he said.
When asked for clarification, Ruff’s office told the Owen Sound Current that the figure was based on a sample size of “a couple hundred” individuals who contacted his office directly.
The office did not track political affiliation, but Ruff indicated that some respondents had previously identified as non-Conservative voters and had referred to the budget as an “austerity budget,” a term he said was consistent with NDP critiques.
Senate Review Delayed Until February
Although Bill C-15 passed the House of Commons before the holiday recess, it will not proceed to final approval until at least February 2026. According to a December 16 report by CBC News, the Senate opted not to rush its consideration of the bill before the winter break.
Chloé Fedio, director of communications for Pierre Moreau, the government’s representative in the Senate, told CBC News that “Bill C-4 and Bill C-12 are complex bills that the Senate intends to study in the new year.” She also confirmed that the Senate agreed in November to begin studying Bill C-15 at 11 different committees.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on February 3, 2026.
Note: The 2025 federal budget passed the House of Commons with the support of the governing Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party. The Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois voted against it.
Sources:
MP Alex Ruff, Statement received by email (Dec. 19, 2025)
Emails with Ruff’s office (Dec. 19, 2025)
CBC News, “Bills pushed through Commons at last minute won’t be studied by Senate until February,” Janyce McGregor, Dec. 16, 2025
Statistics Canada, “Net farm income,” The Daily, Nov. 26, 2025
Statistics Canada, “Consumer Price Index, November 2025,” The Daily, Dec. 17, 2025
Parliamentary Budget Officer, “Cost Estimate – Build Canada Homes,” Nov. 2025
Department of Finance Canada, “Economic and Fiscal Update 2025”