OTTAWA - After two years of pandemic-induced uncertainty, the federal Liberals are readying to deliver an updated spending blueprint in a 2022 budget that, by all accounts, has been influenced by fast-changing circumstances.
The result of a tumultuous few weeks is scheduled to be unveiled Thursday, but experts note the uncertainty has not gone away.
Three-decade-high inflation rates may climb further. Unemployment is low, but labour shortages are widespread. Housing prices continue to rise at paces not seen in years.
And the war in Ukraine continues to send ripples through the global economy and threaten security.
A former Liberal budget chief says the government should be careful how it earmarks billions in expected new spending, and how much federal coffers dole out with so many bumps on the economic road ahead.
Robert Asselin, senior vice-president of policy at the Business Council of Canada, says policy-makers never know what will happen and should be careful not to inflame key issues facing the country.
