The federal government introduces its first budget in more than two years today……and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will dominate its content.
Reports say Ottawa will be spending billions of dollars to extend assistance programs through the fall, and will fund job-creation efforts to get more people back to work.
There will also be a national child-care program announced, which is expected to be in operation within two years…..although negotiations with the provinces will be necessary first.
To help raise money, a federal sales tax will be imposed on all on-line sales, and there will be a digital tax imposed on internet giants such as Google and Facebook.
The federal government’s spending deficit over the past year is expected to come in at just under 400-billion dollars…..the highest since the Second World War.