The Liberal government presented its first budget in the new Parliament on Thursday. While staying in line with the Liberal platform, the budget has been nudged by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the inflation and housing affordability crisis, and the Liberals’ recent deal with the NDP. The government’s spending is set at $452.3 billion with a deficit of $52.8 billion, with the debt to GDP ratio pegged at 45.1 percent. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented the budget in the House of Commons and took credit for the economic recovery, and noted that the “time for extraordinary COVID support is over.” “Think about that, after a devastating recession, after wave after wave, and lockdown after lockdown, our economy has not just recovered, it is booming,” she said. While Freeland acknowledged that fighting COVID-19 and the recession came at a “high price,” she said inflation was a global phenomenon. Freeland addeed that “our …