This region’s Members of Parliament want the federal budget to put money toward some of the North’s infrastructure that’s gone beyond its best before date.
Federal finance minister Jim Flaherty announced Thursday the budget will be tabled on March 21. National media have reported the Conservative government plans to tighten its belt and announce more cuts.
While he’s already been told there isn’t any room in the budget for it, MP John Rafferty (NDP, Thunder Bay – Rainy River) said he is hopeful and optimistic that he’ll see some kind of additional funding for infrastructure.
“I had my motion a couple weeks ago for infrastructure help over the next 20 years for communities ( wth a population of) 10,000 or less,” Rafferty said.
“The share of the federal contribution to take care of infrastructure in small communities is down to about 12 per cent. Municipalities are up 60 per cent in terms of what they’re responsible for. (Federal dollars are) certainly very needed in Northwestern Ontario.”
Rafferty also wants the government to restore frontline services. The Conservatives cut many local and regional services, such as Veterans Affairs Canada regional offices.
Rafferty said those are frontline services Canadians need.
Although that’s not all he wanted to see in the budget.
“I would also like to see a reduction in the tax breaks the government gives to their well-connected corporations like oil and gas. I will be watching closely to see what kind of tax cuts remain for corporations.”
MP Bruce Hyer (Ind., Thunder Bay – Superior North) praised Rafferty’s idea and hoped more money would go toward improving infrastructure in the region.
Trying to remain optimistic, Hyer said he's concerned there will be surprises in the budget.
“So much of what prime minister Stephen Harper and Flaherty have put into budget, they’ve never told anybody ahead of time or ran on it,” he said.
“One example is raising the age of retirement for Canadians from 65 years old to 67. If they ran on that do you think they would be the government of Canada today? I don’t think so."
Hyer added he also wants to see mass transit for both big and small cities and more money going towards municipalities in general.
