FILE PHOTO: A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo/File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada posted a budget surplus of C$1.21 billion in the first six months of the 2018-19 fiscal year compared with a C$6.18 billion deficit in the same period a year earlier, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

Revenues jumped by 8.8 percent in the April-September period, helped by a greater intake from taxes and employment insurance premiums. Program expenses were up 2.8 percent.

In September, Canada ran a budget deficit of C$1.36 billion compared with a deficit of C$3.28 billion a year earlier.