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FILE PHOTO: Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks during a news conference at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., U.S. June 13, 2019.
Freeland to miss her target, thanks to Trudeau
Canadian Finance Minister Chyrstia Freeland is expected to reveal Monday that she has missed the $40.1 billion deficit target that she set for herself last year, the latest in a long string of fiscal targets Justin Trudeau’s government has missed over the years.
Freeland said Tuesday she expects the fall economic statement, which she will present on Dec. 16, will show a declining debt-to-GDP ratio, but she did not mention the deficit target. “I chose my words with care because it is important to be clear with Canadians. It is important to be clear with capital markets.”
The missed target will make Freeland a target of criticism by the business community and Conservatives.
According to a report in The Globe and Mail, Freeland and Trudeau are at odds over spending. Her office and nonpartisan Finance Department officials are unhappy about the government’s $6.28-billion plan for a holiday sales-tax break and $250 checks for people earning up to $150,000.
The gimmicky measures – which have not moved the polls for the Liberals – seem to have made it impossible for Freeland to hit her target.
The tension between Freeland and Trudeau revives questions about her future in the government. Trudeau brought Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, not her, to Mar-A-Lago last month, and the Globe reported Thursday that Trudeau is again trying to recruitMark Carney, presumably to take her job.Correction: This post originally referred to Dominic LeBlanc as the transport minister.
A man walks in the Central Business District on a rainy day, in Beijing, China, July 12, 2023.
China picks a debt whiz to run its finances
Beijing announced that Lan Fo’an, currently provincial party secretary in Shanxi, will succeed Liu Kun at the Ministry of Finance, signaling a commitment to tackling the country’s mounting debt problem. China’s debt-to-GDP ratio has reached 280%, most of it held by local governments who borrowed heavily to fund development projects.
Lan has a reputation for being a whiz at reducing debt accumulation from his time as governor in Shanxi. He was praised by state media at the time for helping the province transform from a coal-mining to a manufacturing- and services-based economy even though Shanxi’s overall economic growth lagged behind the national average.
That’s just the kind of CV they’re looking for in Beijing these days. Lan is likely to continue his predecessor’s efforts to audit local government debt and push them to manage their own problems — but bailouts may be tempting if defaults spike.
One more thing: Don’t confuse Finance Minister Liu’s retirement with the recent ouster of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and some military figures. Liu is above the normal retirement age for high party officials and was kept on after the National People's Congress session in March to signal policy stability. Lan will probably succeed him at the next National People’s Congress Standing Committee session before the end of the year.