Ottawa, October 9, 2013
2013-130
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, will be in Washington, D.C., this week to attend the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, and to meet with his colleagues from the Group of 20 (G-20) countries as well as with the Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean.
“Canada continues to be an economic leader internationally,” said Minister Flaherty. “Our reputation as a balanced and stable economic manager is solid, and our Economic Action Plan continues to create jobs, while keeping taxes low and returning us to balanced budgets by 2015.
“That said, however, Canada is not immune to ongoing global weakness from beyond our borders. Global fragility and potential external economic threats continue to add an extra layer of challenges that we must all address together.”
When he meets with his international colleagues, Minister Flaherty will continue to promote the need for all countries to balance efforts to support job creation and economic growth with commitments to reduce deficits and return to balanced budgets over the medium term.
Discussions are also expected to cover ongoing efforts to strengthen the international financial system, including IMF governance reforms, and the policies needed to increase long-term private investment in key areas to support growth, such as infrastructure.
