Search

Search results

1. Canada’s federal deficits would be much worse without Alberta

   The prevailing narrative surrounding the post-2008 recovery in Canada is that the country weathered the storm significantly better than the United States, and has emerged in relatively strong fiscal shape (though certainly not unscathed) ...

2. 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 ...

3. B.C.’s NDP government will likely raise taxes and increase government spending

   Yesterday, British Columbians finally found out who will govern the province. The NDP, led by John Horgan (pictured above) and supported by the Green Party, was given an opportunity by B.C.’s lieutenant-governor to form government. Which ...

4. NDP must clarify how it will pay for deal with Greens

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun, June 17, 2017 The power-sharing deal struck by the NDP and Green Party means British Columbians could soon see an NDP minority government propped up by Green Party support. But if NDP Leader John Horgan becomes premier, the ...

5. Alberta private sector improving but government finances remain in bad shape

   Dave Mowat, president of ATB Financial, said recently that Alberta’s economy was “turning the corner” after a difficult year in 2016. His comment came as the Crown Corporation released its financial results for the past fiscal year. ...

6. Alberta’s run of deficits tower over Ontario’s worst

   Appeared in the Financial Post, May 30, 2017 Over the past decade, Ontario emerged as the poster child for poor fiscal management in Canada, due largely to the province’s deep run of deficits. However, thanks to a decade of rapid spending growth and ...

7. Race to the Bottom: Comparing the Recent Deficits of Alberta and Ontario

   Alberta’s public finances are deteriorating rapidly, with the provincial government set to run a cumulative budget deficit of $27.6 billion over the three-year period from 2015/16 to 2017/18. Until recently, by far the largest deficits of any ...

8. Defence spending in Canada—a look at the data

   Recently in Brussels, U.S. President Donald Trump chastised several NATO members—including Canada—for not meeting their commitment to spend 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on national defence. Canada is among the 23 of 28 ...

9. Ontario’s mountain of debt continues to grow

   Last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government published its budget for the 2017/18 fiscal year. As we warned in a recent study published before the budget was tabled, the Ontario government plans to add billions of dollars to the ...

10. Ontario budget—more spending, more debt

    This afternoon, Ontario’s Finance Minister Charles Sousa delivered the provincial government budget for fiscal year 2017/18. Headlines will likely focus on the government’s first balanced operating budget in a decade. A deeper look at ...