Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first federal budget earmarks billions of dollars for actions to meet U-S trade disruptions.
The 406-page fiscal plan includes almost 90-billion dollars in net new spending items over five years.
The new spending is aimed squarely at boosting productivity and funding cross-country infrastructure projects.
The goal is to help businesses reach new markets and reduce their reliance on the United States.
The budget contains a deficit nearly twice the size forecast by the Liberals a year ago.
The budget projects a more than 78-billion-dollar total deficit, steadily decreasing to more than 56-billion within five years.
The federal budget pledges to shrink the size of the public service by 10 per cent, straying from the government’s election promise to only cut jobs through attrition.
Opposition parties aren’t showing much interest in voting for the budget, setting up a high-stakes confidence vote for Carney’s minority Liberals.
Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont has resigned from the Conservative caucus. . d’Entremont, a longtime Conservative both provincially and federally, resigned from the Tory caucus and joined the Liberals. d’Entremont said Prime Minister Mark Carney is offering a better path forward for the country with a new budget that hits the priorities he’s heard most in his own Nova Scotia riding to build strong community infrastructure and grow a stronger economy. His crossing the floor puts the Liberals now within two votes of being able to pass the budget on their own and avoid the prospect of a holiday election. d’Entremont served as deputy House Speaker from 2021 until the April election and did not get support from the Conservative caucus for his bid to become the Speaker this spring.
New Glasgow Regional Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a missing person — a 28-year-old woman from Pictou County, Ashley Borden. She was last seen on Monday morning in the New Glasgow area.
Police say there is no information to suggest that she has met with foul play, however, New Glasgow Regional Police are concerned for her well-being and want to ensure she is safe.
Because of the windy conditions today, Northumberland Ferries has cancelled the 7:00am and 10:00am sailings today from Wood Islands , and the 8:30am and 11:45am sailings from Caribou.
