OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Canadian government will present its annual fall economic statement on Dec. 16, the finance ministry said on Monday.
The mid-fiscal year mini-budget will be presented later than usual due to gridlock in parliamentary proceedings, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said last week, adding that the mini-budget will have details of spending and fiscal anchors.
“Our government is focused on delivering fairness for every generation … I look forward to presenting the next steps in our economic plan to deliver a good middle class life for everyone,” Freeland said in a statement on Monday.
The date of Freeland’s mini-budget this year coincides with Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem’s annual address to Canadians. He is expected to speak about the progress made in bringing inflation back to target and new challenges on the horizon in a speech at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade at 12:35 p.m. (2030 GMT) on the same day.
The mini-budget will come at a time of increased uncertainty about the future of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government since losing the support of the New Democratic Party and a threat of tariffs from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
The budget update may contain spending measures to shore up Canada’s border with the United States, which Trudeau promised Trump at a surprise meeting between the two in Florida in late November.
Trudeau’s Liberal government, trailing opposition Conservatives in polls over issues including the cost of living, has already survived two confidence votes and measures in the mini-budget could present his rivals another opportunity to bring him down.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; editing by Costas Pitas, editing by Deepa Babington)
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