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“Our economy is growing, just not as fast as we’d like,” Morneau told the House of Commons in tabling his Fall Economic Statement, a mid-year accounting of the country’s performance.

“This is set against a backdrop of slow growth around the world, due to factors such as slower-than-expected growth in the U.S., and the uncertainty surrounding the U.K.’s Brexit vote” to leave the European Union.

“But our historic signing of the Comprehensive Economic Agreement and Trade Agreement — the most modern and progressive trade deal on the planet — shows that even in uncertain times, hard work and perseverance can lead to results that will create middle-class jobs.”

Morneau expects previously announced economic incentives for the middle-class — in the form of tax breaks — will help convince them to spend more and strengthen growth overall. At the same time, the government wants to attract more immigrants to fill the labour gap being created by retiring Canadians.

Morneau delivered his economic plan on the same day as a report showing GDP still struggling but at least growing — at a 0.2-per-cent pace in August. And while not great, the Statistics Canada’s data was dead on the target set by forecasters.

In fact, the only real weak spot in the data was a revision to the July GDP figure, taking the growth estimate down to 0.4 per cent from the federal agency’s previous level of 0.5 per cent.

The finance minister’s mini-budget is meant to reinforce more than a flicker of hope for an economy in the middle of uncertain global growth and the threat of trade disruptions no matter who becomes the next president of the United States — which happens to be our biggest and most important export markets.