With so much at stake, this year’s federal budget could have made a positive difference here in Hamilton.

Instead, on almost every front, this budget fails Canadians.

It does little to create jobs, something Stephen Harper had promised for months. Instead, this budget weakens the environmental review process for Mr. Harper’s friends in the oil and gas industry. And it attacks our most vital public services—including health care and public pensions.

The Conservatives are unilaterally rewriting the formula for federal health transfers—short-changing provinces by $31 billion. For many Canadians, the result will be fewer doctors, longer wait-times and more frustration.

This budget also raises the Old Age Security eligibility age from 65 to 67. That will take up to $12,000 from seniors’ pockets and force them to work two years longer. In cutting this vital program, the Conservatives are flatly ignoring expert advice that the OAS is fully sustainable.

It’s time to say enough is enough. It’s time to set out a practical roadmap that will create jobs, promote growth and strengthen the services families rely on.