Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, has finally set the date for the next federal budget, announcing that he will hand it down on March 21.
Flaherty stressed that he is continuing to target a return to fiscal balance, despite continued weak economic growth. “In the face of a fragile global economy, the Harper government is preparing for the upcoming budget with a focus on supporting economic growth and job creation and returning to balanced budgets by 2015,” said Flaherty.
“As always, our government’s top priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity,” Flaherty added.
It likely will be a stay-the-course document, keeping things on track toward Flaherty’s forecast of a balanced budget by 2015.
It comes at a time of anemic economic growth.
Real GDP grew at an annualized rate of 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2012.
However, prospects brightened a bit with the latest employment report, which showed the economy created 51,000 new jobs in February.
With files from Canadian Press