New shoes on budget day

While several Canadian parliamentary traditions have their origins in Britain, new shoes on budget day does not.[1] News stories of the practice have been investigated by the Library of Parliament and by Canadian academics Alex Marland and Mary Francoli.[2][3] Walter Edward Harris in 1955 was the first Minister of Finance to receive media coverage about the quirky practice, but only that he was wearing old footwear and therefore not following the so-called tradition.[3] Likewise a news story reported that Donald Fleming did not do so in 1960 and again the practice was described in the media as "traditional",[4] with one account claiming that the tradition of wearing "something new" began as early as Sir John Rose's first budget of 1868.[5] The Library of Parliament has no evidence that Rose did so.

Walter L. Gordon, the next Finance Minister, did not wear new shoes for his three budgets from 1963 to 1965, but his successor Mitchell Sharp wore new shoes on budget day in 1966[6] after he was told that doing so was a tradition; "Later, I learned there was no tradition behind it at all", Sharp said.[1] The following year there were two budgets, one in June where he wore new shoes[5] and one in November. Sharp wore the same pair of shoes in November, as budget day fell on St. Andrew's Day. He said, "being a Scot, and this being the second budget I have presented this year, I am wearing the same shoes that I wore when I presented the budget on June 1."[7]

Following Sharp, Edgar Benson wore a new pair of shoes on budget day in 1968, although he said, "He didn't buy them just for the budget."[8] The following year he did not wear new shoes when delivering the budget, saying jokingly that he couldn't afford them,[9] and in 1970 proudly displayed his worn soles on budget day.[10]

The next two Finance Ministers, John Turner and Donald Macdonald, are thought to have delivered their budgets without new shoes.[3] Macdonald's successor Jean Chrétien wore new shoes for both of his budgets of 1978. The next minister, John Crosbie, wore used mukluks in 1979 for his only budget. Following Crosbie, Allan MacEachen is believed to have not followed the tradition, but in 1983 his successor, Marc Lalonde, did for his first budget which resulted in considerable controversy when a photojournalist present for the shoes reveal caught a peek of the budget.[3] Michael Wilson wore new shoes for the first five of the seven budgets he presented beginning in 1985.[3]

Wilson's successor, Donald Mazankowski, wore new shoes for his second budget, in 1993.[3] Paul Martin wore new work boots he received as a gift from Chrétien for his first budget, in 1994, but did not wear new footwear with subsequent budgets. John Manley did not wear new shoes for the two budgets he tabled, in 2002 and 2003. His successor, Ralph Goodale, released two budgets in 2004 and 2005, and wore new shoes both times.[6]

Jim Flaherty wore new shoes for his first budget in 2006.[6] For the second one, instead of wearing new shoes, he bought ice skates for his son.[11] and resoled his shoes to show that his 2008 budget was fiscally prudent.[12] Flaherty did not purchase new shoes for the second of his two 2011 budgets, but did so in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and February 7th, 2014.[6]

Flaherty's successor, Joe Oliver, wore New Balance shoes with blue laces to underscore the fact that the Conservatives' 2015 budget was balanced (The party's traditional colour being blue).[13][14] However, commenters pointed out that the shoes were made in the U.S., by a company that had abandoned Canadian manufacturing 20 years earlier.[15] Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau held photo-ops to reveal his footwear for the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 budgets. There was no budget in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Chrystia Freeland revealed her footwear on Twitter amidst the pandemic and, in 2022, she held a photo-op at a women's shoe store.[16]

Wearing new shoes on budget day (or the refusal to do so) has been used as a symbol by politicians. Stockwell Day's outfit as Alberta Treasurer was intended to highlight "a new direction" for the budget".[1] The tradition has been around for so long that, as Nova Scotia's Steele said after leaving his position, "It's hard to be original ... Every gimmick has been done", and passers by often ask finance ministers in the days before new budgets whether they have purchased new shoes yet.[17]

• List of budget day shoes - Parliament of Canada