Finance Minister Bill Morneau's first federal budget has received a strong thumbs down from NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.

In a party news release, Mulcair claimed that the Trudeau government "shortchanged" First Nations education by $230 million and First Nations child welfare by $130 million.

In addition, Mulcair accused the government of failing to establish a fairer threshold for eligibility for employment insurance and continuing to raid the EI fund by removing $7 billion for general revenue.

“I have been travelling the country and have heard from Canadians about the realities of job loss, crushing household debt and retirement insecurity,” Mulcair said in the news release. “Unfortunately, today’s budget failed to deliver the change promised by the Prime Minister to start closing the gap between the rich and everyone else.”

In addition, the NDP leader pointed out that the budget did not reverse Stephen Harper's corporate tax cuts for profitable corporations. Nor did Morneau take any action to "eliminate costly stock option loopholes for CEOs".

“Every budget is about choices,” Mulcair said. “And Liberals have chosen tax breaks to CEOs and profitable corporations over helping seniors, First Nations children, and the unemployed.”

The Liberal Party of Canada website, however, claimed that the budget strengthens the middle class by making the Canada Child Benefit tax-free, boosting student grants, and cutting personal income taxes for middle-income earners.

The federal government has also created a higher tax bracket for those earning more than $200,000 per year.