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Finance Minister Bill Morneau will have an open ear to provinces looking for more money to deal with bad economic times, but it is unclear if he will open the federal government’s wallet.

Morneau told reporters he is happy to have a conversation on the Fiscal Stabilization Program (FSP) during an upcoming meeting with provincial finance ministers, but would not commit to a change.

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“Next week is a really important first step. We’re looking forward to getting together with the finance ministers. The idea is we’re going to listen, work together, try and understand their position. That’s the important start in the discussion,” he said.

At a meeting of Canada’s premiers earlier this month, there was unanimous agreement the government should take a look at the FSP. The program compensates provinces for sudden drops in revenue during bad economic times. Any province that sees a five per cent drop in year over year revenue can ask for help from the federal government, but there is a cap of $60 per provincial resident, which limits how much Ottawa will pay.