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OTTAWA, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday the country’s recession is not yet over, saying the return to economic growth in a technical sense is not the only factor to be considered.

When asked in an interview with the French-language broadcaster Radio-Canada if he believed the recession was over, Harper said: ‘I say no, and I know my friends, other economists, say the recession is over.’

‘That may be true in a technical sense growth has recommenced but in reality we’ve seen … the stabilization of the world economy,’ he said in the interview shown to a group of journalists in Ottawa and scheduled to be broadcast in full this weekend.

‘We hope and we’re optimistic that we are going to get a boost during this year, but our position is that we must continue with the stimulus measures this year but start planning the exit strategies,’ he said.

Harper also said he saw no need for major spending cuts in order to balance the federal budget in years to come, as long as Ottawa used fiscal discipline.

(Reporting by Louise Egan; editing by Rob Wilson) Keywords: CANADA ECONOMY/HARPER

(louise.egan@thomsonreuters.com; +1 613 235-6745; Reuters Messaging: louise.egan.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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