OTTAWA — Canada’s former parliamentary budget officer and the head of the International Monetary Fund are both arguing Ottawa has room to run steeper deficits in the upcoming federal budget, despite concerns raised by the current fiscal watchdog.

Kevin Page, now president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, published a piece in Policy Magazine this week arguing the current climate of economic uncertainty means Canada must meet a “hinge moment” in the upcoming budget, set for Nov. 4.

Page said Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to deliver a budget that inspires Canadians’ confidence and trust and argued that shift will require significant taxpayer resources.

Carney has rolled out a substantial spending agenda since the spring election, includin

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