Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland defended the Bank of Canada’s independence after the main left-leaning opposition party joined the Conservatives in criticizing its record.
Freeland acknowledged the increasingly difficult circumstances Canadians face. Her comments, made a day before Macklem is expected to deliver a fifth-straight outsized interest-rate hike, show monetary policy decisions have become increasingly politicized.
But she gave no indication the government would add to the targeted spending it announced in September. Those measures include a temporary doubling of a sales-tax rebate for low-income earners, a one-time top-up for renters who can’t pay their bills, and new dental care coverage for uninsured children.
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