Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not the finance Minister for the federal government where the budget comes from. In consensus government and in this government, the Department of Finance provides policy directives. We try to do the monitoring of our financial situation, and we support departments when they bring forward their initiatives. We provide analysis of initiatives through our management board secretariat, who is an agency that benefits all of the financial management board. But when there are items that come from a department, they come forward to the financial management board, an analysis is done, and a decision is made. So it is a responsibility of all members of the government, every department of the government, to, in fact, achieve the goals of the fiscal strategy or to try to achieve the goals of the fiscal strategy and to try to be aligned by it. So, Mr. Speaker, that's where this sits. It is a difficult thing when you are facing wildfires, floods, more wildfires, low water, to simply say that we're going to stick to $150 million reduction. It's a lot more complicated than that. That said, it was known that we'd have some challenges and so that large surplus that we work towards ensured that we had the capacity to meet those challenges. Thank you.
Caroline Wawzonek on Question 346-20(1): Restoring Balance Financial Sustainability Plan
In the Legislative Assembly on October 22nd, 2024. See this statement in context.
Question 346-20(1): Restoring Balance Financial Sustainability Plan
Oral Questions
October 22nd, 2024
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