Government Spending

The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians: 2023 Edition

— Jan 10, 2023

The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians: 2023 Edition finds that not only has Canada’s projected combined government debt (the federal debt and the provincial debt of all 10 provinces) nearly doubled since 2007/08, the year before the last recession, but the combined debt now equals 74.6 per cent of the Canadian economy.

The End of Spending Restraint in British Columbia

— Jan 4, 2023

The End of Spending Restraint in British Columbia finds that after a long period of relative spending restraint, the B.C. government significantly increased spending—even before any COVID-related spending began.

Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada's Premiers, 2022

— Nov 17, 2022

Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada's Premiers, 2022 is a new study that ranks Canadian premiers (seven current and four former) based on three fiscal policy categories: government spending, taxes, and deficits and debt up to the fiscal year 2021/22. Premiers who managed spending more prudently, balanced the budgets, and or paid down debt ranked higher.

Population and the Fiscal Outcomes of Subnational Jurisdictions

— Oct 20, 2022

Population and the Fiscal Outcomes of Subnational Jurisdictions is a new study that finds once a province or state exceeds a certain population size, the government’s role in the economy begins to grow.

Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2022 Edition

— Oct 6, 2022

Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2022 Edition finds that despite common misperceptions, spending on public schools across Canada increased in seven out of 10 provinces between 2012-13 and 2019-20, before COVID-related spending began.

Comparing per-Person Spending and Revenue in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, 2009–2019

— Aug 25, 2022

Comparing per-Person Spending and Revenue in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, 2009–2019 is a new study that finds across the 26 municipalities that constitute the GTHA, per person spending (adjusted for inflation) increased by 9.6 per cent between 2009 and 2019, and Toronto remained the highest spending municipality in 2019. Not surprisingly, there is a connection between high spending municipalities and high tax municipalities, as Toronto, the highest spending municipality was also the 3rd highest taxing municipality (total per person revenues adjusted for inflation) in 2019.

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Recent Government Spending Commentaries and Blog Posts

Federal government’s ‘consultation’ thinly-veiled prescription for more spending

Matthew Lau

Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, January 18, 2023

Due to Liberal government reforms in the 1990s, per-person program spending dropped by 15.5 per cent.

Union president ignores facts about government spending in P.E.I.

Jake Fuss, Alex Whalen

Appeared in the Charlottetown Guardian, December 28, 2022

The province will increase its net debt to $2.7 billion this year.

AG confirms billions in COVID spending was poorly targeted—continuing a troubling trend

Jake Fuss

Appeared in the Toronto Sun, December 14, 2022

Ottawa apparently gave nearly $10 billion to businesses that did not need the money.

Government failure not unique to Trudeau government

Jason Clemens, Jake Fuss

Appeared in the Globe and Mail, December 14, 2022

Overpayment recipients included 1,522 prisoners, 391 dead people and 434 children too young to be eligible.

Ottawa has long troubled history of writing cheques

Alex Whalen, Tegan Hill

The auditor general found that $4.6 billion in payments for programs such as CERB were made to individuals who were ineligible.

Federal government doubles GST credit and doubles down on poorly targeted spending

Jason Clemens, Nathaniel Li, Milagros Palacios

Appeared in the Financial Post, November 30, 2022

An estimated 1.2 million people aged 18 to 24, living with their parents in households with income of at least $100,000, received the GST credit in 2021.

Saskatchewan government must resist urge to spend windfall

Tegan Hill

The province eliminated its rainy-day account in 2007/08.

Trudeau government is all gas and no brake on spending

Jake Fuss

According to forecasts, federal spending will be $89.2 billion higher than previously projected for 2022/23 and $80.7 billion higher in 2023/24.

New Brunswick Premier Higgs tops among peers on spending and tax policy

Jake Fuss, Alex Whalen

Appeared in the Financial Post, November 17, 2022

The Higgs government created fiscal room to reduce taxes in New Brunswick.

P.E.I. should follow New Brunswick’s lead on fiscal policy

Alex Whalen, Jake Fuss

Appeared in the Charlottetown Guardian, November 17, 2022

During Premier King’s tenure, spending has grown on average by more than 9 per cent annually in P.E.I.