Local MP Talks Budget
Robert Sopuck is not pleased with yesterday's federal budget.
The Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP says it makes a lot of big purchases, but does almost nothing for rural areas.
One example Sopuck gave of that is agriculture.
"Immediately when I got the budget document I went to see what they had about agriculture, and out of a 260-odd-page document, there's three small paragraphs about agriculture. That speaks volumes."
Sopuck does say he's happy about the government's commitment to infrastructure spending, and is pretty confident work will continue on Highway 10 through Riding Mountain National Park.
The federal budget does contain more than $38-million over two years to strengthen and
modernize Canada's food safety system, but says nothing of compensation for the dairy industry for CETA concessions.
modernize Canada's food safety system, but says nothing of compensation for the dairy industry for CETA concessions.
---
Manitoba Election: Tuesday Recap
The governing NDP says it will spend more money on environmental research while the Opposition Conservative party says it will spend more on health care.
Those were the campaign promises on Tuesday in the campaign for the April 19 Manitoba election.
NDP Leader Greg Selinger says if he is re-elected premier on April 19, he'll bump up funding for research into Lake Winnipeg by half a million dollars.
He says it's important for the fishery industry and for people who use the lake for recreation.
Tory Leader Brian Pallister says he would find ways to keep more doctors from leaving the province and establish a new doctor recruitment program that would include experts in hiring foreign physicians.
Pallister also says he would also promote hometown doctors through education in local communities and do exit interviews with departing physicians to understand their reasons for leaving.
---
Hunt for Third Suspect in Brussels Attacks
Brussels residents are out jogging and walking their dogs this morning, the day after terrorist bombings at the city's airport and subway killed at least 34 people and wounded more than 200.
But strain is evident as the frequent wails of sirens are heard.
An on-duty gardener cleaning a city park admits even his bosses are on edge, and has urged workers to empty all trash cans and keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Belgian media have identified the two suicide bombers as brothers, while authorities are searching for a third man they consider a top suspect and believe is still alive.
---
Russia Points at Ukraine Over Cease-fire Agreement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine's government of dragging its feet on implementing last year's cease-fire agreement.
Although last year's cease-fire between separatists and Ukrainian government forces has largely held, none of the political elements of the deal like calling a local election there has been implemented.
Lavrov, who was hosting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Moscow on Wednesday, told reporters that Kyiv's inaction is the main stumbling block to a peace settlement in the east. Lavrov said Germany had floated an idea of holding an election in the rebel-occupied territories this summer but Kyiv said no. Kyiv insists it can't hold the vote there because of security concerns.
Steinmeier on Wednesday urged both sides to comply with the partial withdrawal and warned of a possible escalation.
