Federal budget ‘really met the mark’ for northern Ontario: Hajdu
Northern Ontario has a lot to gain in the federal budget tabled by the Mark Carney government says one of the Thunder Bay area’s Liberal MPs.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne presented the first federal budget under Carney’s leadership Wednesday afternoon. It projects a $78 billion deficit, while targeting spending to boost investment and domestic productivity amid cuts to federal programs and the civil service.
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP and Liberal cabinet minister Patty Hajdu said the budget’s commitment to building more — with over $50 billion committed to infrastructure spending “in a very short time” — will help northern Ontario.
“For northern Ontario, it really met the mark, in particular in the space of investment and community infrastructure,” Hajdu said in an interview Thursday morning. “Whether it’s roads, bridges, community centres, and even a specific fund for a co-investment with provinces and territories on hospital infrastructure.”
“This has been one of the biggest asks of municipal leaders and First Nations leaders for a very long time, and so that very significant fund will go a long way.”
Hajdu also pointed to commitments to building new and affordable homes, pointing to the creation of the Build Canada Homes federal agency that aims to facilitate the construction of more affordable housing.
Overall, she said the goal is to spur investment in Canada, especially in the face of uncertainty with Canada’s economic relationship with the United States. President Donald Trump broke off trade talks with Canada in October.
“There’s a need to retain and attract new investment in Canada, and there’s a need to build up the infrastructure all across our country both on large projects and on the very everyday needs that communities have,” Hajdu said.
The budget reaffirms previously-announced help for the forestry sector, Hajdu said. The industry has been hit particularly hard recently with escalating U.S. tariffs and duties being blamed for the idling — whether temporary or indefinite — of several sawmills.
“We can be a big buyer of Canadian-produced forest products and Canadian-produced steel, and so we have language in the budget around ‘buy Canadian’ that will strengthen our ability to procure from Canadian providers of these resources,” Hajdu said.
Adding to that, she said, the budget includes initiatives that have “really transformed” employment insurance by putting in place a system where, instead of laying off workers, companies can reduce hours with EI supports in place for the workers’ missed time. That, she said, allows employees to stay with the company, should they choose, and receive training on things like new equipment.
For companies, she Hajdu said, there’s also a 100 per cent capital tax write-off in the first year of purchasing new equipment.
“This will allow for companies to rapidly purchase the kinds of machinery or equipment that they need to transform their industries,” she said.
On projected cuts to the civil service, Hajdu said it’s about “rightsizing the government” as it grew “tremendously” during the COVID-19 pandemic, as federal programs had to be introduced or expanded in order to deal with it.
“This will largely happen through attrition, early layoffs, looking at contracts that are short term and really trying to minimize the impact on the civil service.”
With the Liberals in a minority position, they will need at least two opposition votes to pass the budget (failure to do so would bring down the government and trigger a December election), Hajdu said she believes Canadians want stability.
“They’re looking for exactly what we presented yesterday, which is a plan to protect them, a plan to protect their families, a plan to build the career opportunities that these investments represent.”
Newswatch is scheduled to interview Conservative Kenora MP Eric Melillo Thursday afternoon. – snnewswatch.com
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Lots of places in the budget to get $23 million to fund the completion of ‘mistake-on-the-lake’ art gallery. Now its just a waiting game to see when is the appropriate time for Patty to come flying into Thunder Bay to deliver the big cheque. We all know its going to happen.
Will it be done quietly with little fanfare or will it be a big media event? Stay tuned.
Maybe it might even be several events spread out with smaller cheques being handed out that will total $23 million or whatever the remaining project cost deficit is. Maybe Christmas? Nobody is paying attention at Christmas.
PS: Where is Sharon Godwin? Not a peep out of her.
