Freeland doesn’t commit to meeting her own deficit target in fall economic statement

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is not committing to meeting the $40.1-billion deficit target she set for the government last year.

Freeland says she expects the fall economic statement, which she will present on Dec. 16, will show a declining debt-to-GDP ratio.

When asked if she would also meet her deficit target, Freeland wouldn’t answer, saying she chose her words “carefully.”

The finance minister announced a set of fiscal guardrails last fall in response to pressure from the Bank of Canada and economists to avoid fuelling inflation with too much spending.