Canadian finance minister could lose job amid dispute over virus response - Globe and Mail

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau could lose his job amid disagreements with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to steer the economy through the coronavirus outbreak, the Globe and Mail said on Tuesday. The Globe, one of Canada's most influentual newspapers, cited unnamed sources as saying Trudeau was uncertain whether Morneau was the right person to handle the recovery.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau could lose his job amid disagreements with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to steer the economy through the coronavirus outbreak, the Globe and Mail said on Tuesday.

The Globe, one of Canada's most influential newspapers, cited unnamed sources as saying Trudeau was uncertain whether Morneau was the right person to handle the recovery. Morneau has been financing minister since Trudeau's Liberals took power in late 2015. Potential candidates to replace Morneau include Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Mark Carney, a former head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, the paper said.

The Globe said Morneau had clashed with Trudeau over the amount of money Ottawa has committed to fighting the pandemic. Canada's budget deficit this fiscal year is expected to hit C$343.2 billion ($258.1 billion), the largest shortfall since World War Two, Morneau announced last month. Morneau is also under pressure over his failure to promptly repay travel expenses covered for him by a charity at the heart of an ethics investigation. Although Morneau apologized, opposition legislators say he must resign.

No one in the offices of Trudeau or Morneau was immediately available for comment.