Local MP Carol Hughes is optimistic about the Liberal government's new budget - but giving most of the credit for positive moves to her party.
The Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing New Democrat is taking credit for many measures in the budget tabled Tuesday.
Hughes particularly highlights the inclusion of a national pharmacare framework covering contraceptives and diabetes medication.
Hughes also points to recently announced plans for a national school food program, the doubling of the firefighter and search and rescue volunteer tax credit, support for a "Red Dress Alert" system similar to the Amber Alert system but for missing Indigenous women, efforts to address the legacy of residential schools, and efforts to address the housing crisis - which she says started under the previous Conservative government and is such a large problem it can't be solved tomorrow - including the ability for non-profits to buy social housing.
Despite that, Hughes says it's "by no means an NDP budget", as it lacks certain things the party would like - pointing especially to corporate tax rates.
Hughes says the budget also falls short on funding for First Nations housing and infrastructure or to address the funding gap under "Jordan's Principle", but she is fairly positive about the document in early assessment.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's focused his criticism on the general idea of deficit spending, blaming government deficits for problems such as high mortgage rates, rents, and homelessness, while Liberal Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a grim warning about Conservative "austerity".