Search

Search results

1. Provincial finances in trouble—spotlight Western Canada

   The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) recently published its annual fiscal sustainability report, which provided long-term projections to assess the sustainability of public finances for the federal government and the provinces. In this ...

2. Government debt—a snapshot of each province

   The 2018 edition of the Federal Fiscal Tables is out, so it’s a good time to review the state of provincial government debt in Canada, especially given that we are about 10 years out from the financial crisis and Great Recession. Even ...

3. Surprise—Alberta’s government debt burden is approaching Quebec’s

   The recent provincial budgets released by the Quebec and Alberta governments are a study in contrasts of government debt. On one hand, Quebec has a high-debt government that’s aiming to reduce its debt burden. On the other hand, Alberta ...

4. The Forgotten Middle: Public Debt in Manitoba

   Most public policy discussions of provincial government deficits and debt in Canada have tended to focus on the bigger provinces: namely Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Manitoba often flies under the radar especially ...

5. Government debt a more pressing concern than household debt in Canada

   The recent interest rate hike by the Bank of Canada has renewed concerns over household debt and the ability of Canadians to manage rising debt service costs, given that household debt has reached record levels. However, as a recent ...

6. What does the federal budget mean for Ontario?

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, March 29, 2017 Last week, the Trudeau government released its 2017 budget. So what are the most important takeaways for Ontarians? Firstly, something we’re very familiar with in this province—growing government debt. The ...

7. Ontario racking up debt faster than any other province; soon to surpass Quebec as most indebted

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, March 14, 2016 Ontario’s provincial finances are in bad shape. The government’s recent budget confirmed that the province will run its ninth consecutive multi-billion dollar budget deficit in 2016/17, with debt set to surpass ...

8. Debt Accumulation in Ontario Compared to Other Provinces

   A recent Fraser Institute study showed that Ontario’s provincial government has accumulated debt rapidly in recent years. In fact, Ontario has acquired more than half of its nearly $300 billion net debt (a measure that adjusts for financial assets) since ...

9. End of the Chretien Consensus in Canada?

   Appeared in the Financial Post, November 24, 2015 Canada enjoyed an economic and fiscal renaissance starting in the mid-1990s that lasted more than a decade. The boom was rooted in sound fiscal policy (balanced budgets, focused spending, and tax ...

10. Spending Beyond Our Means; Sticking it to the Next Generation

    Appeared in the National Post Over the course of the past several months, outgoing Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty have repeatedly warned that Canadians are spending beyond their means and taking on too much ...