Global National: April 19, 2021 | Canada pledges nearly $50B in spending in new budget

Chrystia Freeland delivered her first budget as finance minister on Monday and it included some big-ticket items. Spending in the budget document is nearly $50 billion and the federal deficit is expected to be about $354 billion. That will push the national debt past the $1 trillion mark for the first time. Global News’ David Akin has an overview of the government’s ambitious spending plan. There have been multiple calls for a national childcare program that would be affordable, accessible and high-quality. Experts believe such a program is crucial to getting women back into the workforce. As Abigail Bimman reports, Chrystia Freeland thinks she is the finance minister who can deliver it. Dawna Friesen speaks with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland about the $354 billion deficit. Freeland said the size of the deficit is “serious,” but said it is necessary to help Canada recover from the pandemic.