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1. Trudeau rhetoric can’t change Canada’s fiscal reality

   Due to federal tax changes, 61 per cent of low-income families face higher personal income taxes. ...

2. Interest on federal debt—a growing problem

   Interest payments on the federal debt are expected to equal $20.2 billion in 2020/21. ...

3. Trudeau government poised to embrace much more federal debt

   Starting in the mid-1980s, Canada’s federal fiscal policy focused heavily on trying to limit the accumulation of debt and push down (or at least prevent) growth in Ottawa’s debt-to-GDP ratio. To achieve this objective, successive ...

4. Alberta’s woes threaten Canada’s finances from coast to coast

   Ottawa annually pocketed $22 billion more in revenue from Alberta than it spent in the province. ...

5. Governments betting on low interest rates may experience rude awakening

   Governments in Canada and around the world have run large budget deficits and greatly added to their debt loads due to their pandemic response and the accompanying economic downturn. Moreover, they are poised to add even more debt in ...

6. Federal finances ‘careening downhill’ fast

   It has now been nearly a week since federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the fall economic statement (FES). After a suitable period of digestion, it’s still unclear where exactly federal finances are heading aside from very ...

7. Canada’s fiscal situation near crisis levels

   As the pandemic continues, Ottawa and the provinces have embarked on a fiscal cruise whose ultimate port of destination is not necessarily a safe harbour. With an estimated federal deficit of more than $343 billion for 2020-21 combined ...

8. Throne speech brings bigger government, more fiscal challenges

   In today’s throne speech, the Trudeau government announced substantial new spending commitments, marking a new vision for Canada, which includes increasing the size and role of government. Unfortunately, more spending and bigger ...

9. Freeland takes over during massive federal spending spree

   It’s out with the old and in with the new in Ottawa as Chrystia Freeland replaces Bill Morneau as federal finance minister. Freeland takes over during a dramatic time in Canadian history, so it’s worth reviewing the history of federal ...

10. Trudeau government’s fiscal ‘snapshot’ doubles down on uncertainty

    Appeared in the Vancouver Sun, July 10, 2020 According to the Oxford Dictionary, a snapshot is “a short description that gives you an idea of what something is like.” When the Trudeau government delivered its Economic and Fiscal Snapshot 2020 on Wednesday ...