Canada pledges short-term fiscal stimulus

OTTAWA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged on Thursday to deliver additional fiscal stimulus, in line with Saturday's decision by the Group of 20 leading nations.

"We will undertake some short-term economic stimulus. At the same time we will undertake long-term savings to ensure that we do not go into structural deficit," Harper told the House of Commons.

Answering criticism that he had used up the government's surplus and now risked a deficit, he said the government had deliberately reduced the budget surplus through tax cuts to try to confront an expected slowdown. (Reporting by Randall Palmer; editing by Rob Wilson)