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OTTAWA — Finance Minister Joe Oliver has been avoiding Question Period to spend more time preparing his budget, his spokeswoman said Thursday as Opposition MPs pressed the government on Mr. Oliver’s repeated absences from the House.

Records show Mr. Oliver is attending the House of Commons to vote on legislation but not to answer questions in Question Period, leaving other Conservatives to speak for the government on the economy.

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That’s because the minister is busy, Melissa Lantsman, his director of communications, said in an email on Thursday. “Minister Oliver is preparing the budget,” she said.

Mr. Oliver is under pressure from the Opposition because he has delayed the budget — his first — citing uncertainty over oil prices.

But when Opposition MPs complain about his failure to set a budget date, he is not there to hear them.

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The House of Commons doesn’t record the attendance of MPs, but Hansard does record when they speak. So far this year, there have been 28 sitting days but Mr. Oliver has spoken in Question Period on only four days.