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Big-Spending Canada

Canada's Liberal Prime Minister is preaching an anti-austerity message that seems to have gone a long way to getting him elected in last year's General Election.

Austerity has been the norm in the US and European economies since the global financial crisis. But Justin Trudeau is championing a different kind of thinking. Canada's Liberal Prime Minister is preaching an anti-austerity message that seems to have gone a long way to getting him elected in last year's General Election. His latest budget pledged some $50 bn of new infrastructure spending over the next ten 10 years - plus billions more in tax breaks for middle and low-income earners, much of it paid for with borrowed money. So should other countries follow this example? We ask Peter Dungan, Professor of Business Economics at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto.

Canada could see an influx of immigrants if Donald Trump is elected president in November. Some 20% of US citizens, according to one poll, would consider emigrating if he made it to the White House. Texan Joe Goldman, has seen this as an opportunity, launching Maple Match, a dating site aimed at Americans who want to meet Canadians. (Picture: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives for the G20 Summit at the International Expo Center in Hangzhou on September 4, 2016. Credit: Getty).

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18 minutes

Last on

Tue 6 Sep 2016 15:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 6 Sep 2016 07:32GMT
  • Tue 6 Sep 2016 15:06GMT

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