Portage la Prairie hosted a discussion about the 2016 federal budget yesterday.

Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen -- along with Finance Critic Lisa Raitt -- had a chance to meet with business owners and local leaders to discuss their concerns. Raitt says infrastructure and accountability were the big topics, but flooding was also an issue.

"I thought it was very compelling to learn about the flooding issues, it actually came up a number of times around the table. Overall a really good discussion on education as well, even though it's a provincial responsibility, we all have kids that are involved in the school system and we care about education. We care about secondary education, we care about apprenticeships, university, college, all those good things."

Raitt feels more of the budget needs to focus on infrastructure.

"I don't know how much of it is actually toward infrastructure is my concern. I think a lot of the stuff that people would think of infrastructure, bridges, roads, and rails, and all those good things that go into moving the economy. That's not the stuff that this government is focused on. So our job is going to be tracking down those projects that are really needed like roads, like bridges, like a drain system for Lake Manitoba."

Bergen says Raitt spent her entire time in this province in Portage, which is a great sign for the rural community.

"There are a lot of jobs created out here -- not only with agriculture -- with manufacturing, with the agricultural sector, but we train 80 per cent of all the Canadian fighter pilots. They come here to the Portage la Prairie area, to Southport. That's something that's so important, it's important to the country. So definitely the attention is good for all Canadians."

Raitt adds the things mentioned most yesterday were infrastructure, education, accountability, and flooding issues.