Government Spending

Capital Investment in Canada: An International Comparison

— Oct 11, 2018

Capital Investment in Canada: An International Comparison finds that Canada’s anemic growth rate of capital investment—which has slowed to a 40-year low—has lagged behind growth rates in the United States and other developed countries in recent years. Investment growth has been especially weak in Canada’s business sector, particularly in the areas of machinery, equipment and intellectual property.

Capital Investment in Canada: Recent Behaviour and Implications

— Sep 13, 2018

Capital Investment in Canada: Recent Behaviour and Implications finds that the growth rate of overall investments in Canada—particularly in the important areas of equipment, machinery and intellectual property—has slowed to a 40-year low, negatively affecting living standards for workers and overall economic growth.

Subsidized Daycare—What British Columbia Can Learn from Quebec’s 20-Year Experiment

— Mar 22, 2018

Subsidized Daycare—What British Columbia Can Learn from Quebec’s 20-Year Experiment finds that policymakers in B.C. should learn from Quebec’s government-subsidized daycare program, which has proven costly for taxpayers, has not paid for itself and has experienced mixed child development outcomes.

Back on Track: How the Federal Liberals Can Deliver Their Promised Balanced Budget by 2019/20

— Feb 23, 2018

Back on Track: How the Federal Liberals Can Deliver Their Promised Balanced Budget by 2019/20 finds that a modest one per cent reduction in program spending—spread out over two years—would achieve budget balance. Incidentally, since coming into office in 2015, the federal Liberals have increased program spending by 20.1 per cent ($51 billion) in just three years.

Will British Columbia’s New NDP Government Abandon Past Spending Discipline?

— Feb 14, 2018

Will B.C.’s New NDP Government Abandon Past Spending Discipline? finds that British Columbia currently enjoys one of the strongest fiscal positions in Canada because of modest spending growth. In fact, over a 15-year period starting in 2001/02, successive provincial governments in B.C. increased spending, on average, 3.5 per cent annually—the lowest level of spending growth during that time period of any province.

Repeating Past Mistakes? Spending Restraint Critical for Ontario’s Fiscal Health

— Feb 6, 2018

Repeating Past Mistakes? Spending Restraint Critical for Ontario’s Fiscal Health finds that the Ontario government is ramping up program spending by more than $7 billion this year, or nearly six per cent—more than three times higher than the average increase in the years following the 2009 recession.

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Recent Government Spending Commentaries and Blog Posts

Municipal spending on the rise across Metro Vancouver

Josef Filipowicz

Metro Vancouverites will go to the polls later this month.

Municipal spending in Ontario—a snaphot

Livio Di Matteo

The average annual growth rates in household income range from a high of 4.1 per cent for Timmins to a low of -0.1 per cent for Windsor.

City size doesn’t determine spending habits in Metro Vancouver

Josef Filipowicz

At $1,944 per resident, Vancouver is the third highest spender regionwide.

Quebecers probably felt—and still feel—they don’t get what they pay for

Yanick Labrie

Quebecers elected the Coalition Avenir Québec with an overwhelming majority.

Now in power, will the Ford government make the tough decisions on spending

Ben Eisen

Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, October 3, 2018

Government-sector employees in Ontario are paid approximately 13 per cent more than comparable private-sector workers.

Trudeau government must act now on trade, taxes as possible recession looms

Livio Di Matteo

Appeared in the Moncton Times & Transcript, September 28, 2018

Canada’s unemployment rate in August rose to six per cent with Ontario leading the way, losing about 80,000 jobs.

Ontario has a $15 billion deficit—not the $6.7 billion claimed by the previous government

Livio Di Matteo

Since 1990-91, the province has run deficits 20 out of 27 years.

Ontario should kill and bury electric car subsidies

Kenneth P. Green

Appeared in the Toronto Star, September 16, 2018

Tesla sued Ontario, claiming a case of “unjustified targeting.”

Another Alberta fiscal update, another increase in spending

Steve Lafleur, Ben Eisen

Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, September 13, 2018

The Notley government plans to increase spending by $146 million beyond what was budgeted in the spring.

Why demographics are Doug Ford’s greatest challenge

Livio Di Matteo

Ontario’s population may grow by 30 per cent, from 14.2 to 18.5 million.