Thursday will mark the first federal budget since the 2021 election.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will lay out the financial blueprint on Thursday April 7th, which was last presented to Canadians in December of 2021.

At that point, the forecasted deficit in 2021-22 was pegged at $144.5 billion with a drop to $58.4 billion in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Both MP Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North) and Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River) had the ear of the Minister on pair of occasions.

“A big ask from Northern Ontario Caucus is increased funding for FedNor, which is now a standalone agency,” said Powlowski, who chairs the caucus. “It’s a big source of financing for the government to assist small businesses as well as many non-profits.”

According to Powlowski, the fund was previously at $66 million and was slashed to $44 million when Stephen Harper and the Conservatives took office in 2006. His goal is to get it back up above $60 million annually.

Powlowski is also waiting for answers on the proposed Chronic Care Home on the Fort William First Nation, adding “We’re hoping that they get funds from an infrastructure funding stream that they have applied to. That continues to be a priority for me (and Chief Peter Collins) but I didn’t formally put it into the budget ask.”

Hajdu is not only a Member of Parliament but also serves as the Minister of Indigenous services and Minister responsible for FedNor.

“I am actively working with the government to be able to have the resources I need to fulfill the mandate that the Prime Minister gave me, and those mandates are public and can be viewed online. Unlike the Ontario government, we are not fighting anyone in court to hold those back,” said Hajdu.

Hajdu is referring to Premier Doug Ford taking his case to the Supreme Court of Canada to keep the mandate letters to his cabinet ministers secret.

The budget is expected to pass in the House of Commons with the NDP supporting the minority government, after the two parties signed a confidence and supply agreement on March 22nd.