Budget 2026 is about giving Canada a ‘strong footing’: Champagne

Posted November 4, 2026 11:56 am.

Last Updated November 4, 2026 12:35 pm.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Thursday’s federal budget is about giving Canada a “strong footing” to navigate a more volatile world.

The Liberal government’s 2026 budget is set to land a little over a day after voters delivered a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump and the Republicans in the U.S. midterm elections.

Asked how impending Democratic control of Congress might affect Canada’s trade bargaining position with the Trump administration, Champagne said the upcoming fiscal plan is about giving Canada leverage at many negotiating tables.

He said the government is trying to make Canada more resilient to global shocks, whether they come from the United States or anywhere else in the world.

The finance minister also said running deficits to support workers affected by U.S. trade aggression is “the right thing to do.”

Champagne was in Montreal today to get a new pair of shoes before tabling the budget — a long-standing tradition for finance ministers.

With files from Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press

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