Who was Barbara Mitchell?

Deficits & Debt

The Accumulated Debt and Economic Performance of Industrialized Countries during COVID
— Jun 21, 2022
Printer-friendly version

The Accumulated Debt and Economic Performance of Industrialized Countries during COVID finds that Canada had the second-highest increase in gross debt (as a share of the economy) out of 33 countries from 2019 to 2021 while actually underperforming economically compared to most of the same countries.

read more

Do Budget Deficits Matter? Essays on the Implications of Government Deficits and Debt
— Jun 8, 2022
Printer-friendly version
Do Budget Deficits Matter?

Low Interest Rates and the Cost of Government Debt and Canada’s Budget and Deficit Cuts in the Late 20th Century: An Amazing Success Story are the latest installments in an essay series on government deficits that emphasize the risks of higher interest costs on government debt, and note the similarities between today’s federal fiscal situation and the mid-1990s when interest costs consumed one of every three dollars of government revenue. At that time, the government enacted major reforms—including spending reductions—to help dramatically reduce the federal debt.

read more

What Changed in Alberta from the Fall 2021 Mid-year Update to Budget 2022
— May 12, 2022
Printer-friendly version
What Changed in Alberta from the Fall 2021 Mid-year Update to Budget 2022

What Changed in Alberta from the Fall 2021 Mid-year Update to Budget 2022 is a new study that finds following a windfall in resource revenue, the recent Alberta budget increased program spending by $4 billion over the next three years. This increase in spending is above and beyond what would be required to keep pace with inflation and population growth.

read more