The federal budget will be tabled on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced in the House of Commons Monday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Flaherty announced the government is on track to balance the budget in 2015, following a meeting with private-sector economists.
"We are doing this without raising taxes, we are doing it without cutting transfers to hospitals, to social services, to education in the provinces, unlike the previous government,"? Flaherty said.
"And we have not cut spending on social programs."
The finance minister didn't give any indication about what the government would spend money on once it heads into surplus territory, which will coincide with the next federal election.
Flaherty has made it clear he's not a big spender.
"We always have to make sure that we — as my mother would say — save for a rainy day."
The issue of a low Canadian dollar was raised by reporters.
Though Flaherty refused to speak outright about the slide of the loonie, he said one of clear factor is the relative strength of the U.S. dollar.
"[The United States] are our biggest trading partners. That's good news."
Pressed further about the implications for price disparity and if it will affect cross-border shopping, Flaherty was a bit more ambivalent.
"I guess it does. There's a lot of shopping now that takes place online and we'll see."
NDP finance critic Peggy Nash scoffed at the date the government plans to table the budget, which will happen as the world's athletes gather in Sochi.
"Clearly, they are hoping that Canadians will pay more attention to the Olympics than the Conservatives' financial management."
Nash also said the government is still not doing enough to address the concerns of middle-class families, who are "drowning in household debt" and "struggling with affordability."
"Canadians want the government to balance the books," Nash said. "But not at the cost of jobs and growth."
In December, Canada lost 45,900 jobs. That monthly drop in full-time work is the largest seen since late 2011.
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