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1. It’s easier for governments to increase spending than bring it back down

   As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds and governments across the country scramble to respond, public spending is increasing quickly, particularly at the federal level. Much of this spending is entirely reasonable and indeed necessary. ...

2. 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 ...

3. 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 ...

4. Ontario’s ‘mini-budget’ makes little progress on deficit

   Today, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli tabled Ontario’s Fall Economic Statement. Given Ontario’s difficult fiscal situation (a large budget deficit and mountain of public debt), and signals that the update would be a “mini-budget’ with ...

5. Provincial finances in trouble—spotlight Central Canada

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

6. Provincial finances in trouble—spotlight Atlantic Canada

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

7. Ontario budget ignores past promises, offers no plan to enhance economic competitiveness

   Predictably, many of the headlines on Ontario’s 2018 budget, released today, focus on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s so-called “free” child care plan and other big-spending items. It is, after all, a big-spending budget. But crucially, the ...

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

   In 2016/17, Ontario’s net debt reached $302 billion, or approximately $21, 500 per Ontarian. The province’s debt-to-GDP level stands at 38 percent, just below its all-time historic high. Ontario’s net debt has increased dramatically since 2003/04, ...

9. Canada’s Past Fiscal Leaders Are Now Fiscal Laggards: An Analysis of 2017 Provincial Budgets

   Around the turn of the 21st century, Alberta and Ontario could both boast of having comparatively sound public finances relative to most other provinces. In recent years, however, serious fiscal problems have emerged in both provinces. Alberta and Ontario ...

10. Wynne government reopens spending tap, exposes province to more risk

    Appeared in the Financial Post, May 10, 2017 The Wynne government recently tabled Ontario’s first balanced operating budget in a decade. While it’s good to see the province finally bring its annual operating expenditures in line with revenues, there are ...