For the second year in a row, the federal government is not planning to table a new budget in Parliament this month.
While a federal budget is traditionally unveiled in March each year, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has confirmed that the government is aiming to release the country’s most important fiscal planning document later this year.
Freeland’s office said the government continues to assess fallout from new COVID-19 variants, regional lockdowns and the pace of vaccine distribution and will table a new budget at the appropriate time. The federal government last tabled a budget on March 19, 2019.
Mounting concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic then forced Ottawa to shelve delivering its budget as scheduled in 2020. In a November economic update, the federal government said its deficit was on track to exceed $381.6 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.