Nova Scotia's premier continues to defend his government's approach to addressing the impact of rising inflation.
Houston and his government have received criticism from opposition parties for not addressing the situation of affordability.
But Houston told reporters on Thursday the province needs to look at long-term options rather than short-term fixes, citing a number of measures the province has implemented including an increase to the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, the senior care grant and the $13 million package announced in March aimed at helping people on income assistance.
"I understand the desire for a short-term fix but there's no short-term fix in the inflationary environment that we're in right now," he said.
Houston said the province currently has significant needs in health care and government services, adding they need to make sure they find a balance.
As for potential changes to gas taxes, Houston said an amendment to that could have long-term ramifications on other government services.
When pressed about whether or not the province will implement measures to help other segments of the population, the premier pushed back, saying the government continues to look into ways it can help support those in need.
"I would say there are very few government programs that impact every single Nova Scotian," said Houston. "We'll continue to look at programs and we'll make sure we're helping and supporting those that we can."
According to Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia's All-Items Consumer Price Index increased 8.8 percent year-over-year in May, up from the 7.1 percent year-over-year increase in April.
