OTTAWA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- About 97 percent of all of Canada's stimulus spending has now been earmarked to various projects, the Canadian government said Wednesday, while stressing the stimulus package will wind down in March 2011.

    In its last quarterly report this year, the government predicted a record high 2009-10 budget deficit of 55.9 billion Canadian dollars, (53.1 billion U. S. dollars) but it vowed to cut the deficit in half within two years.

    The Conservative government pledged in January a total spending of 62 billion Canadian dollars (59 billion U. S. dollars) in two years to help steer the economy out from recession.