Local MP Carol Hughes is describing the Liberal government's new budget "a good start" with more action needed.
Emphasizing that "budgets are about choices", the Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing New Democrat says she's glad the NDP were able to push the Liberals into making "some positive choices".
Hughes particularly highlights plans for a national dental care plan for low-income Canadians, which was included in that Liberal-NDP agreement.
Hughes also notes the inclusion of a surtax on financial institutions that made huge profits amid the pandemic.
In line with that, Hughes does criticize some of the Liberal budget's plans for climate change, particularly money meant to support "carbon capture" - as she doubts its effectiveness and feels it would be better to focus on reducing emissions - and she notes some positive steps on housing - including a ban on foreign homebuyers, which she says the NDP have been pushing for - but believes much more needs to be done, vowing the NDP will push on that, as well as items such as support for the tourism industry, which has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and national pharmacare.