Following the announcement of the federal budget on Wednesday, Employment and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu spoke to the Saint John Chamber of Commerce on Thursday to break down parts of the budget, including affordable housing — a hot topic in New Brunswick.
While Hajdu did not speak to specifics, she said the federal government would form a partnership with the provinces to tackle the issue.
Hajdu also touched on additional issues of concern to New Brunswickers: funding for home care and mental health support, which includes an additional $229.4 million in the next decade, of which about $125 million will be allotted to better home care and critical home care infrastructure. Hajdu said there’s also more than $104 million allocated to mental health initiatives, something many in the province have been calling for.
Hajdu also noted the budget’s focus on small business, pointing out that 99 per cent of Canadian businesses are small- to medium-sized — something that played well with the talk’s audience.
“The stimulus for local opportunities, I’ve heard a buzz about that lately,” said Kent Wiezel, senior engineer with BGC Engineering, “but it is nice to hear that the intent is to keep that going.”