Feds’ budget released next week

OTTAWA— Finance Minister Bill Morneau will unveil the federal budget on March 22, a fiscal blueprint he says will put a focus on giving workers the skills needed to compete in a changing economy.

Morneau announced the date of the upcoming budget in the Commons on Tuesday, saying it will “create jobs, invest in our communities.”

Morneau brushed aside questions whether uncertainty caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration — questions around the renegotiation of NAFTA and the possibility of a border tax that could hit Canadian exports — would influence the government as it finalizes its budget plan.

“Our budget will be about Canada. It’ll be about Canadians and I’m confident that we’ll help Canadians get the skills they need in a challenging economic environment,” he said.

Still, he acknowledged that global growth is important and that Canada must have an understanding of how its impacts. In the fiscal update presented last November, the government upped the amount it wants to spend on infrastructure, raising the total to $186.7 billion over 11 years.