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The federal government is making no commitments, but federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he is “open to considering” changes to a program aimed at providing financial assistance for provinces that experience an economic downturn.

That is likely welcome news for Saskatchewan Finance Minister Donna Harpauer, who is expected to raise the Fiscal Stabilization Program when she meets with Morneau and her provincial and territorial counterparts in the nation’s capital this week.

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“Program funding is not sufficient for provinces that experience unexpected fiscal challenges, and the program needs to be more responsive to economic shocks and downturns,” Harpauer wrote in a prepared statement. She was not available for an interview.

“Saskatchewan is calling on the federal government to make the necessary immediate improvements to fiscal stabilization.”

Harpauer wants the federal government to remove the $60-per-capita cap on stabilization payments, lower the qualifying threshold for non-resource revenue and make the changes retroactive to the 2015-16 fiscal year.