As 2025 draws to a close, Quinte News asked Northumberland-Clarke MP Philip Lawrence about what 2026 could bring.
MP Lawrence said that ongoing struggles with cost of living for his constituents are likely to continue into next year.
“The affordability crisis is just day to day, getting the amount of groceries you need to have in your buggy to feed your family at the end of the week, and just trying to struggle through that,” said MP Lawrence. “And related to that is a number of taxes and measures that liberals have put in to increase the cost of food, whether in the industrial carbon tax, packaging tax, or other taxes that drive up our food.”
He also criticized the $78-billion deficit in the 2026 budget.
“We’ve now got major rating agencies questioning our ability to manage our own finances of our country,” said MP Lawrence. “If they downgrade, what happens is the cost of debt gets even higher. As it is right now, we spend way more on paying interest than we do on health care transfers.”
When asked about upcoming capital projects, MP Lawrence said he would work with local mayors to address the infrastructure deficit in his riding.
