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1. 2021 budgets establish uncertain future for government finances in Canada

   The Trudeau government forecasts a $154.7 billion budget deficit in 2021/22. ...

2. Ontario continues to accumulate debt more quickly than Quebec

   Quebec reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio by 3.4 per cent. ...

3. Federal and Provincial Debt-Interest Costs for Canadians

   In recent years, deficit spending and growing government debt have become a trend for many Canadian governments. Like households, governments are required to pay interest on their debt. In aggregate, the provinces and federal government are ...

4. Ford government must plot path to budget balance

   Appeared in National Newswatch, February 18, 2021 The Ford government released Ontario’s 2020/21 third quarter fiscal update last week. As expected, the numbers were ugly. The Department of Finance now anticipates a $38.5 billion budget deficit for this ...

5. The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians: 2021 Edition

   Budget deficits and increasing debt have become serious fiscal challenges facing the federal and many provincial governments recently. Since 2007/08, combined federal and provincial net debt (inflation-adjusted) has doubled from $1.0 trillion to a ...

6. Ontario’s new finance minister must recognize the importance of budget balance

   Appeared in National Newswatch, January 14, 2021 With the resignation of Rod Phillips, Ontario’s incoming finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy inherits a difficult job. The province’s fiscal challenges long pre-date the global pandemic. Queen’s Park has ...

7. At this rate, Alberta’s debt could look like Ontario’s in a decade

   Appeared in the Edmonton Journal, February 4, 2020 Alberta has a reputation for being a low-debt jurisdiction. In fact, heading into the 2008-09 financial crisis, the province had amassed $35 billion in net financial assets. In other words, unlike every ...

8. Government debt—the burden on Albertans continues to grow

   At quick glance, you might think Albertans are fortunate to have a relatively low provincial debt burden. But that’s an incomplete and perhaps misleading story. In reality, the debt burden for Albertans is growing quickly. Of course, the ...

9. Why Is Equalization Still Growing?

   Equalization is a federal government program that aims to provide all Canadians with access to comparable public services at comparable levels of taxation. To do this, it transfers federal tax dollars collected from taxpayers across the country directly ...

10. Spending Beyond Our Means: Addressing the Root Cause of Alberta’s Deficit

    In May of 2019, Alberta’s newly elected United Conservative Party created the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances. The panel’s mandate was to develop recommendations to achieve a balanced operating budget without tax increases by 2022/23. This ...