Join CJAD for full budget coverage on the Aaron Rand Show, beginning on Thursday afternoon at 4 o'clock. CJAD's Laura Casella and longtime budget analyst Terry Pizio will be in Ottawa during the day Thursday, to break down the budget, and let you know how it will affect you.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Thursday's budget will include "specific measures'' to bolster the country's hard-hit manufacturing sector.

Flaherty says the measures will be one of the "major points'' in the Conservative government's fiscal plan.

The minister made the comments while trying on a new pair of shoes on Wednesday, an annual pre-budget tradition.

This year's new footwear — a pair of black Oxfords inscribed with the words "Action Plan,'' after the Tories' stimulus program — was purchased at a Roots factory in Toronto.

The budget will be read by the minister from Parliament at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Photo: via CP