This past week, the United Conservative Government of Alberta revealed their budget for the province. 

Travis Toews, MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti, and the Finance Minister and President of the Treasury Board shared his thoughts on the budget. 

“On Thursday, I was privileged and honoured as Finance Minister, to deliver the inaugural budget of Alberta’s first United Conservative government. The budget reflected the commitments we made in our platform—a platform that was endorsed by over one million Albertans in the last provincial election—and our three main priorities: Getting Albertans Back to Work, Making Life Better for Albertans, and Standing Up for Alberta. Our government worked diligently to prepare a thoughtful, pragmatic approach to fulfilling the promises we made to Albertans.

"Our government made the decision to modestly reign in spending by 2.8 per cent over four years. This will allow us to address inefficiencies by implementing best practices and innovative solutions, so Albertans get the best bang for their buck.

"At the same time, our government realizes our role in supporting Alberta’s most vulnerable. That’s why Children’s Services spending will increase by 15.2 per cent and Community and Social Services’ budget will expand by 7.6 per cent over four years. Our Health budget is increasing by $200 million, and we are maintaining our commitment to fully fund education.

"As your MLA for Grande Prairie, I look forward to meeting more of my constituents and I hope you’ll reach out to our Constituency Office with your concerns, questions, or feedback. I have committed to working hard for this area and I am looking forward to a cooperative effort to get Alberta back on track over the next few years."