Tories, NDP at Odds Over Government Spending as Liberals Prepare Fiscal Snapshot

Finance Minister Bill Morneau holds a press conference, prior to the release of the Liberal government’s fourth and final budget before the fall federal election, on March 19, 2019. NTD Television

OTTAWA—Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country’s finances after four months of COVID-19—and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year.

Wednesday’s fiscal snapshot will be the first public assessment of the country’s economic and financial situation since the pandemic started in earnest in March, forcing provinces into lockdown and the Liberal government to start doling out billions in aid in lieu of a federal budget.