THUNDER BAY -- Don Rusnak said a top-down approach to government spending isn't working.
It's why the federal Liberal government is heading out across the country to listen to Canadians and get them to help form the upcoming budget. Rusnak, the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River, and Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu met with around 50 people in Thunder Bay Monday to hear from politicians, business leaders and community organizations.
From infrastructure spending to affordable housing, Rusnak said it's critical to get ideas from the public on how to best spend federal dollars.
"Otherwise we're going to have programs that get us into the mess that we're in now," he said.
'We're not designing any of those programs without advice."
Hajdu said people want to see a different way for the government to spend money that makes an actual difference whether it's the resource sector or the environment with more transparency.
"We want to make some significant progress through with this budget," she said.
"We know people don't expect miracles overnight but they do want to see some progress so that will be our challenge."
The federal government's plan to spend to spend an extra $60 billion on infrastructure over the next ten years was a popular topic at the meeting Monday. Many rural leaders wanted assurances that they'd have access to it. While she understands that many people might feel that they're not being heard, Hadju and Rusnak both said all consultation is heading to the Ministry of Finance. But Hajdu said there are several ways that the MPs are making sure the North will be heard during budget time.
"My assurance is that I'm at the cabinet table advocating for the North every time," she said.
