This week on TCR Express we do a deep dive on the federal budget with digital media editor Warren Frey speaking with Journal of Commerce staff writer Russell Hixson and Daily Commercial News staff writers Angela Gismondi and Don Wall about what they covered as deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled her plans for Canada’s economy last week in the House of Commons.
Russell detailed how the budget addressed strengthening British Columbia’s supply chains given how they were adversely affected by disastrous flooding and landslides last year, as well as funding for de-risking of domestic mineral extraction. He also noted there was little talk of fossil fuel projects and a heavy concentration on green energy initiatives.
Angela concentrated on talking to national associations for their reaction to the budget and said the government’s financial plan got both positive and negative takes from the Canadian Construction Association, Canada’s Building Trades, and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada.
Don focused on housing, including the federal government’s plan for tying access to infrastructure funding to housing delivery and plans for supply chain infrastructure funding, and also detailed some of his discussions with industry stakeholders and their thoughts on the budget.
You can listen to The Construction Record and TCR Express on the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. You can listen to last week’s episode of TCR Express here and our most recent Construction Record podcast featuring national managing editor Vince Versace and digital media editor Warren Frey’s immediate take on the federal budget here. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next week.