Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette says he is very proud to stand behind the newly introduced Federal Budget.
The spending plan introduced on Parliament Hill on Tuesday projects a 78-billion-dollar deficit for the current fiscal year, thanks in part to massive investments in the military, infrastructure, and housing. It also outlines several measures aimed at reducing costs including reducing the overall size of the public service by 10 per cent within a few years.
Malette issued the following response to our newsroom after the budget was tabled, saying that he was proud to stand behind the budget and that it had several important investments for Canada.
STATEMENT FROM CHRIS MALETTE
“I am absolutely, rock-solid proud to be behind Finance Minister Champagne’s Canada Strong Budget 2025 because it was crafted after several months of consultations across the country and with everyone from financial sectors to first nations to make sure we got it right. For instance, we are investing $150 billion in infrastructure that will resonate right down to our riding of Bay of Quinte for roads, sewers, water and wastewater infrastructure to get homes – affordable homes – built faster and more efficiently.
We are not only investing heavily and strategically in infrastructure, but we’re also investing in artificial intelligence, protecting and strengthening our intellectual property and banking systems and most importantly also making significant investments in health care at the community and regional levels. Both of these announcements today are good news for the Bay of Quinte and the projects we know need the investments and commitment to launch. We’re not standing still on these important commitments.
As Champagne said, we are making responsible and pragmatic solutions to right-sizing our government services.
The rate at which our bureaucracy has been growing – up to 8% per year – is simply unsustainable. Using AI and smarter solutions to deliver more timely and efficient services.
Highways, airports, ports are all on the books for infrastructure investment and that is good news for Quinte. And for the first time in modern memory, we will invest directly in health to help build hospitals and clinics that are sorely needed.
Expanding the north and our own 8 Wing is the military strategic airlift gateway to an expanded north. The massive investments we’re making at CFB Trenton, millions of dollars invested in our community in support of the huge expansions there, will ensure there will be an important and expanding role for our squadrons and services at Trenton in linking services to that expanding north.
Investing $1 trillion to the economy over the next 5 years will mean an average increase in wages for the average Canadian by $3,000 a year.”
(PAUL MARTIN)
