OTTAWA — In early September, Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Canadians that his first federal budget would include austerity measures.

The former economist pointed to what he described, not for the last time, as “unsustainable” government spending hikes over the last decade.

Six weeks later, during what was billed as a pre-budget speech at the University of Ottawa, Carney warned that his government would turn back the annual spending increases that averaged more than 7 per cent a year during the Trudeau years.

“Our new government is changing that,” he told the audience of mostly students, while adding that Canadians should be prepared for upcoming sacrifices.

Tuesday’s budget, however, seemed to sing a different tune.

Spending during this fiscal year, which overlaps almost completel

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