Halifax businesses applaud Ottawa’s tougher bail, sentencing laws aimed at retail theft

The federal government plans to pay for its recent big-ticket spending through a combination of economic growth and deficit increases, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Monday. Prior to officially kicking off the government’s pre-budget consultations this year, Champagne told reporters in Ottawa that the government is “investing” in the Canadian economy to ensure various new spending items can be paid for. He also repeated his argument from recent months that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7, implying that increased deficit spending is affordable. “I...