STRAIT AREA - Provincial and federal representatives for our region each defended the budgets their governments have recently passed, and their parties' overall direction for Canada and Nova Scotia, as part of this week's new episode of TELILE 24/7. 

The show kicks off at 1:27 as host Adam Cooke interviews Nova Scotia's Finance Minister and Deputy Premier Allan MacMaster, who is also the veteran MLA for the riding of Inverness, which has once again included Port Hawkesbury since this past August's provincial election.

While the 2022-23 Nova Scotia budget contains a projected deficit of $506.4 million, it also includes $7 billion in health-care spending, an increase of over $400 million from the last budget delivered by the previous Liberal administration. MacMaster pointed out that this spending will go a long way towards strengthening the province's focus on improving health care, particularly in the mental health sector - key planks in the PC platform that brought Premier Tim Houston to victory last summer.

At the same time, MacMaster defended two financial measures aimed at non-resident property owners that have raised the ire of many across the province, including municipal leaders and local economic development agencies. The Finance Minister insisted that these measures are necessary to raise revenue while addressing Nova Scotia's current housing crisis.

Meanwhile, at 20:55, Cape Breton-Canso Liberal MP Mike Kelloway also has budgets on his mind, with the federal government not only passing its latest fiscal document but also striking a deal with the New Democratic Party of Canada to support the minority Liberal administration until 2025 in exchange for the implementation of such NDP desires as full government coverage for dental care and a national Pharmacare program. 

Citing the recent tensions in Ukraine, Kelloway praised his party and the NDP for seeking stability in the months following a divisive federal election result, and expressed hope that measures like a universal basic income strategy can became more prominent with the two parties working together. 

Also on this week's TELILE 24/7: An update on Richmond County's new strategic planning strategy on the municipal level, and a highlight reel from the show's light-hearted weekly closing segment "The Fast Five."