The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will release a spring economic update on April 28. The Globe's Bill Curry quotes the minister saying Tuesday in the House: "This is going to be a plan that is going to help families. It's going to help our industry. It's going to help our nation, Mr. Speaker, to prosper, and to obviously bring good news to Canadians across the nation." Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the update will include the government's "next steps" to support the Canadian economy. It was his first public statement since the Liberals swept three by-elections Monday night, providing the party with a controlling majority in the House. The government announced last year that it was reversing the traditional pattern of releasing a spring budget and a fall update. Mr. Champagne's Nov. 4 budget last year projected a deficit of $78.3-billion for the fiscal year that ended March 31 and a deficit of $65.4-billion for the current fiscal year. TD Bank economist Andrew Hencic said the current challenge for forecasters is the uncertainty over how long the conflict in the Middle East, which is driving higher energy prices, will last.