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1. The evolution of federal debt interest costs in Canada

   The federal government has seemingly ditched the debt-averse approach that largely prevailed in Ottawa since the mid-1980s. ...

2. Canadians pay the price for mounting government debt

   Ontario will spend an estimated $13 billion on government debt interest costs 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. Federal and provincial government debt mounting quickly in Canada

   Due to persistent budget deficits in the decade following the 2008 recession and, more recently, the economic effects of COVID-19, government debt is rising rapidly across Canada. Hence, as budget season looms, it’s especially important ...

6. 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 ...

7. 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 ...

8. 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 ...

9. COVID-related spending increases threaten future economic growth

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, November 4, 2020 The COVID pandemic has sparked increased government spending worldwide including here at home. Many countries have introduced substantial fiscal packages with direct household income supports, loans, ...

10. 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 ...