Federal Conservative Associate Ag Critic John Barlow says the 2018 budget is smoke and mirrors, dressed up as artful deception.

He notes it's full of re-announcements and back-end loaded funding promises.

"The deficit is three times higher than they promised," said Barlow. "They went into this budget year talking about a six billion dollar deficit, which is still substantial don't get me wrong, now they table a budget today that has an 18 billion dollar deficit."

He said the previous Conservative government left the economy in good shape for the Liberals when they took over.

"We left them with the house in order. You had a balanced budget, strong energy prices, a strong US economy that was buying Canadian products. Things were good. So to see in just two years the Liberals dismantle what was a very strong economy is extremely frustrating."

Barlow said the worst part of the budget is it has completely forgotten farmers and neglects our agriculture sector at large.

"Not a section, not a line in this budget about agriculture or natural resources. Again it just goes to show when it comes Canada's rural economy and this Liberal government, rural communities are just an afterthought."

Barlow says to ignore two of the strongest pillars of the economy is very disconcerting.
  
He adds the payments on the deficit will now be 33 billion dollars a year and will be crippling to pay back for future generations.