All eyes are on Ottawa Wednesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers his much anticipated speech from the throne.
The MP for Kenora says he wants to see a northern economic plan to get this region back on track.
Eric Melillo says “We’re seeing a deficit that we’ve racked up now to respond to the COVID crisis which is greater then almost any other crisis we’ve seen in recent memory. World War II being the only time we’ve spent more percentage of GDP.”
Melillo says “We want to see a plan that puts working families first. But we know we have to provide opportunities for our businesses to reopen for people to get back to work and phase out the deficit in a responsible way.”
This will be a test of confidence for the Trudeau government which is 15 seats shy of a majority.
Melillo stresses his Conservative party doesn’t want to see a federal election.
“We’ve been working in good faith with the government and hoping to see some of our ideas brought forward and we hope they will address some of the concerns that we’ve outlined. I am not going to speculate much beyond that but I think right now our focus is on getting to work for Canadians and ensuring we can come out of this crisis as strong as possible.”
Melillo notes if an election his called his party will be ready to go but their focus is getting Canadians the support they need.
Governor General Julie Payette will deliver the throne speech at 1:00pm.
It’s expected to outline how Canada will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The speech will touch on the continuing health challenges facing the country and how to rebuild the economy.
Reports are suggesting a strategy for electric cars will be announced.
Spending is also likely for vaccines, more COVID-19 testing and containing local outbreaks of the virus.
A long term vision is likely which includes spending on child care, long-term care, affordable housing along with a pledge to stimulate a green recovery.
Then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be directly addressing the nation at 5:30pm.
He is expected to speak about Canada’s current COVID-19 situation and summarize the Liberals’ new commitments.
