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All signs suggest that the Conservatives will be focused on job creation and Canada's bottom line when they officially roll out the budget later today, as they try to bring the economy back to full capacity in the aftermath of the recession.

Industry Minister Tony Clement confirmed to CTV's Canada AM that the government is indeed focused on getting Canadians back to work and keeping the country competitive in the long run.

"More jobs, new jobs, preparing for the future, making sure that Canada can be innovative, competitive, making sure the recovery takes hold," Clement said Thursday morning, when asked to outline the government's top priorities in the months ahead.

"It's primarily an economic theme -- that's what Canadians know is their top concern and it is certainly our top concern as well."

Clement said Ottawa is well aware of Canadians' concerns about the swelling deficit, but expressed confidence in the government's plan to chart the course ahead.

"I think the important thing is to make sure the recovery continues to take hold," he said.

"We're doing pretty well compared to other countries in the same situation with this worldwide recession, but the fact of the matter is we are committed to the continuation of the economic stimulus, so you're going to see that in the budget."

Clement said it was necessary for the government to manage the economy carefully so "we don't dip into a second recession."

Looking forward to the future, Clement said the government will push Canada back towards a balanced budget once it is assured the recovery is secure.

The government will also introduce measures to ensure that the Canadian economy can compete in the post-recession landscape, Clement said.

"Finally, we have to think about the jobs of not only today, but the jobs of tomorrow," Clement said.

"And that means making sure our economy is innovative, making sure our economy is more competitive, and you started to see that in the speech from the throne and you'll see more of that in the budget as well."

The budget, expected to be the last stimulus budget Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tory government will table, is expected to include a few surprise funding announcements:

• Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is expected to receive $400 million to help the troubled nuclear energy firm sell its Candu reactors division.
• After their success in Vancouver, Canada's winter Olympics athletes are expected to receive $22 million a year – a doubling of the government's current contribution.
• A program introduced in 2007 that allows companies to write off investments in new machinery and equipment is expected to be extended for five years. The measure has been especially important to manufacturers, the forest industry and the chemical sector.

The throne speech came Wednesday, the first time that the House of Commons sat since Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament last December.

Harper said he would use the time off to recalibrate the government, to prepare for the current parliamentary session.

Opposition leaders protested the move, but were not able to directly confront the government about the issue until yesterday.

In Ottawa, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said the government's recalibration was more of "regurgitation," saying that it failed to show off any new ideas.

"They shut down Parliament for this?" he asked Thursday. "We just came out of the Olympics, the country is on a high, and what does the government offer us? A kind of sorry collection of a lot of old stuff they've been offering us for years."

On Thursday morning, NDP Leader Jack Layton told CTV's Canada AM that the government had little to show, following the controversial prorogation.

"It certainly wasted a lot of time," Layton said from Ottawa.

To him, the throne speech indicated that the government lacked a plan "for the medium or long-term around job creation."

Having a budget immediately follow a throne speech is somewhat unusual, but CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief, Robert Fife said there are no indications that the government expects to face an election soon.

"The government will not be brought down, you're not hearing any opposition MPs screaming for an election," Fife told CTV's Canada AM from Ottawa on Thursday morning.

"They have their criticism of the budget, but there really wasn't anything really offensive in this throne speech that would bring down the government. And I doubt very much there will be much in the budget that would trigger an election campaign."

With files The Canadian Press