Finance Minister Baker Meets with Counterparts in Ottawa

Finance Minister Michael Baker is in Ottawa today, Dec. 12, for a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers.

This is the first official duty for Mr. Baker since he took leave in November for hip-replacement surgery.

"I am looking forward to discussing some of the economic and financial issues facing Nova Scotia and the rest of the country," said Mr. Baker. "Everyone is affected by factors like the high Canadian dollar and it's important for the federal government to hear provincial views on such matters."

The meeting will be hosted by federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. He will be joined by Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge, who will talk about monetary policy to deal with the rising dollar.

Mr. Baker will outline some financial priorities for Nova Scotia, such as more federal assistance to promote productivity growth and more incentives for frontier energy exploration.

Mr. Baker will resume his duties as Finance Minister when he returns to Halifax on Thursday.