When the first budget from Justin Trudeau's government is tabled Tuesday we know one thing for sure: It will be a awash in red ink.

Fine: If we must spend, let's spend big on these three things: drinking water and housing on First Nations communities; national defence; and a short-term temporary rebate to help low-income Canadians cope with rapidly rising food prices.

One of those items - increasing spending to improve the lives of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Canadians - was in the Liberal election platform. The other two were not.

Let's start first with the fact that on any given day, 100 or so First Nations communities in this country cannot drink the water. For a modern, wealthy country like ours, this is outrageous.

The last government took a stab at fixing it and found that the problem is going to cost billions and billions and take years. OK. Let's get at it. There's got to be a way to triage communities in need. Is it too much to ask that we aim, say, to halve the number of communities without potable water in two years time?

Similarly, let's put a big push on addressing the housing crisis in First Nations communities by - wait for it - building some new houses!

I am among those that believe we can ensure a longterm, sustainable housing supply in First Nations communities by allowing those who live in reserve houses to actually own them - property ownership can be a great motivator to investment in community betterment - but let's not wait for squabbles over governance before we start putting shovels in the ground. Do it now.

Then there's our lousy spending record on national defence. The Liberals have committed to the same woeful path as the Conservatives before them, a path that within a few years will see Canada spending less than 1% of GDP on national defence. Our NATO commitment is to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence.

"Free riders aggravate me," U.S. President Barack Obama told American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg recently. Goldberg said Obama warned Great Britain it would no longer be able to claim a "special relationship" with the United States if it did not spend 2% of GDP on defence. Goldberg said Obama told U.K. prime minister David Cameron: "You have to pay your fair share." Cameron promptly boosted defence spending.

I wonder if Obama told Trudeau (or Harper before him) the same thing. Because, right now, Canada is most definitely a 'free rider' when it comes to defence.

Finally, let's do something right now for the millions of low-income families struggling to make ends meet because of the rapidly rising cost of food, brought on by the depreciation of the loonie.

With the loonie's drop, the cost of fresh produce from Florida, Arizona and California has skyrocketed. A meanstested federal food rebate could help low-income Canadians continue to have access to healthy food - and give a shot in the arm to the economy.

This isn't my idea. It's one I first saw floated by Mike Moffatt, a smart, young economist at Western University in London, Ont. He's argued that Ottawa ought to send out an extra GST/HST rebate cheque this year on top of the ones that are being sent out each quarter.

That would cost the treasury an extra $1 billion this year, but almost all of it would be spent by recipient families and that means an extra $1 billion worth of giddy-up in our sluggish economy. It's a good idea that politicians of all stripes should get behind.

If we're going to spend - and it looks like the Trudeau government is hell-bent to do just that - let's really make a difference with housing and water for indigenous Canadians; a pledge to step up to our international defence and security commitments; and a temporary helping hand to those having a tough time these days at the grocery store.

THREE WISHES

Drinking Water and Housing: The conditions on some First Nations communities is outrageous. Let's starting fixing.

National Defence:Stop Canada from becoming an international "free rider".

Food Rebate: Help low-income families with their grocery store bill.