To no one’s surprise, Canada’s independent, non-partisan parliamentary budget officer says we’re heading into a prolonged period of bigger government deficits and reduced economic growth because of continuing uncertainty about trade with the U.S.

What we don’t know is how Prime Minister Mark Carney will address these issues until he releases his long-awaited budget on Nov. 4, 18 months after the previous Liberal budget in April 2024.

For now, the news isn’t good.

Interim PBO Jason Jacques reported Thursday that this year’s deficit is expected to soar to $68.5 billion — almost a third higher than last year’s $51.7 billion — and remain above $60 billion annually for the foreseeable future.

Total federal debt — $1.35 trillion this year with annual interest payments of $55.3 billion to s

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