Liberals open to letting more private dollars pay for public services: Morneau
OTTAWA — New federal government spending programs are being put to a new litmus test, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Thursday — whether or not they offer the potential for luring private-sector investment.
Squeezed by deeper deficits, the Liberals only have so much fiscal wiggle room, which had Morneau putting spending proposals for his latest budget to a two-pronged test: Does it grow the economy, and might someone else want to help pay for it.
Without both, the spending might have to be put off, Morneau said Thursday in a post-budget interview with The Canadian Press.
In preparing the document tabled Wednesday in the House of Commons, Morneau said, he rejected multiple spending asks from cabinet ministers because they couldn’t leverage private investment, although he provided no specifics.