Budget 2012 is expected to be tabled by the Harper government very soon - most likely, maybe, probably.
According to John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail, those in the know are suggesting that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty may actually hold off tabling the budget until April - one month later than the traditional deadline.
Ibbitson thinks the delay is because writing this year's budget is, in a word, hard.
"There is no compelling circumstance to delay this year's budget, other than the sheer difficulty of writing it," writes Ibbitson.
"The first problem is economic uncertainty, brought on mostly by the troubles in Europe...As if that weren't enough, the budget will also unveil the Conservatives' plans for raising the retirement age for Old Age Security...But what is the new retirement age to be, and when will the new rules kick in?"
In recent weeks, Flaherty has brushed aside criticism from the public sector unions that a $4 billion to $8 billion spending cut could cost the economy over 100,000 jobs and push us back into a recession.
But earlier this month, he admitted, that he is concerned about the European debt crisis and the possible impact it will have in Canada.
He said he hasn't set a budget date yet for that reason.
"We're watching Europe," he said according to CBC News.
"We want to make sure we do not have any fiscal crisis or banking crisis coming out of Europe that might affect the American market or our market."
Meanwhile, despite a new Greek bailout package announced Wednesday, not everyone is convinced the Eurozone troubles are behind them.
According to Associated Press, investors are worried that the $172 billion deal may not be enough to keep the debt-laden country from eventually defaulting and possibly exiting the euro.
Moreover, the deal also doesn't directly address the debt problems in other struggling European countries, such as Portugal, Italy, and Spain.
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