Canada's main parties jump aboard spending bandwagon as election nears

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an announcement inside the Sunwing Airlines hangar during his election campaign tour in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, September 3, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

OTTAWA (Reuters) - With less than two weeks before Canadians vote in a federal election, the race is too close to call. But what is certain is that for the first time in recent memory, no matter which party wins, the government spending taps will be wide open.

The ruling Liberals and the rival Conservatives are both promising tens of billions of dollars in investments if they triumph in the Sept. 20 vote. Canada's two main parties say the spending is needed to battle the effects of a fourth wave of COVID-19 and kick-start an economic recovery.