Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has chosen a pair of black lace-up dress shoes, in keeping with the tradition of donning new footwear before tabling a budget in the House of Commons.
Morneau unveiled the shoes at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Toronto on Monday morning.
Looking forward to wearing 's on Wednesday - designed by two inspirational Canadian women. .
— Bill Morneau (@Bill_Morneau)
The shoes were designed by Canadian sisters Justine and Kendall Barber, of . The company says the shoes are "ethically made in Mexico."
Although Morneau's selection is fairly unremarkable fashion-wise, finance ministers in the past have used the occasion to make a statement. Former Conservative finance minister Joe Oliver sported a pair of New Balance sneakers before tabling a balanced budget in 2015. His predecessor, Jim Flaherty, opted to re-sole his shoes in 2008 and 2011.
Former finance minister John Crosbie once sported mukluks ahead of tabling his budget in 1979, and in 1994, then-prime minister Jean Chretien gave his finance minister, Paul Martin, a pair of work boots.