All a-boot tradition: A look at finance ministers’ budget shoes through the years – National

On Monday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland took part in a long-standing Canadian tradition and donned a new pair of shoes on the eve of the federal budget.

The history of the tradition is somewhat murky, though research has traced the quirky footwear fixation as far back as 1955.

While purely ceremonial, the selection of the finance minister’s shoes can be a hint into what the budget may hold.

In 2015, then-Conservative finance minister Joe Oliver chose a pair of New Balance runners as a nod to his party’s pledge to balance the budget, while Freeland’s most recent pair was sourced from a Canadian women-led small business.

Here’s a look at Canada’s fiscal footwear through the ages.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tries on a pair of shoes with Andrew Violi, president of Mello Walk Shoes, at a pre-budget press event in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty puts on his annual pre-budget shoes at the Roots Leather Factory in Toronto on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty laughs as he walks by some women’s shoes as he looks for a pair of new shoes for himself in advance of delivering the federal budget, in Ottawa, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty holds up his newly re-soled shoes during a pre-budget photo opportunity at Healthy Feet Shoe Repair in Ottawa on Monday, March 21, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty clasps a cup of coffee as he arrives at a shoe store in Whitby Ontario on Monday, March 1, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tries on a pair of shoes during a pre-budget photo op in Gatineau, Que., Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty laces up his newly resoled shoes during a traditional pre-budget photo op at a local shoe repair store in Ottawa Monday, Feb. 25, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tom Hanson

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty shows off the made-in-Canada label on the bottom of his new shoes purchased for Tuesday’s budget, during a photo opportunity in his office in Ottawa, Monday, May 1, 2006.(CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)

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Finance Minister Ralph Goodale shows off his new shoes following a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005. (CP PHOTO/Jonathan Hayward)

Finance Minister Don Mazankowski displays a copy of the budget brief along with his resoled shoes in his office in Ottawa on April 16, 1993. The Canadian Press/Fred Chartrand

Finance Minister Michael Wilson puts his new shoe into the hand of a reporter during a photo session in his office on the eve of his budget in Ottawa on Feb. 9, 1988. The Canadian Press/Fred Chartrand

Finance Minister Michael Wilson points out that his new budget shoes are Canadian-made before delivering his budget report on Feb. 17, 1987 in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Ron Poling

Finance Minister Michael Wilson is pictured showing off his new shoes prior to the upcoming federal budget on Feb. 20, 1986 in Ottawa. The Canadian Press

Finance Minister Michael Wilson shows off his new shoes and T-shirt during a photo session in his Parliament Hill office May 22, 1985 before his budget announcement. The Canadian Press/Ron Poling

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Accompanied by Prime Minister Joe Clark as he makes his way to the Commons to deliver his first budget on Dec. 11, 1979, in Ottawa, Finance Minister John Crosbie lifts his pant leg to display his new boots. (CP PHOTO/Bill Grimshaw)

This is an April 10, 1978, photo of then-finance minister Jean Chretien kicking up his heels and baring the sole of one of his new pair of shoes as he left the Parliament building in Ottawa after presenting his budget. (CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Fred Chartrand)

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