Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Federal Deficit

Global Economy Dept: But Prime Minister Stephen Harper's absence from the meeting, which begins Friday, threatens to derail that goal, a couple of them say, according to CTV. The idea for such a gathering came up during the last premiers' meeting in July, when they agreed to discuss how they could protect their provinces from a global economy in flux. That was before revised figures showing a higher federal deficit and growing concerns over the possibility of the U.S. economy going over its so-called fiscal cliff at the end of next month and hALIFAX -- Canada's premiers are arriving in Halifax in the hopes of striking a common economic plan at a time of tepid growth and mounting debt. It's difficult for us to know how we can best blend our own planning in with the funding of the federal government if we don't know what their plans are, said Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, who is hosting the meeting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.