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1. Trudeau budget more bad news for Ontario

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, March 20, 2019 Yesterday, the Trudeau government tabled its budget for the 2019/20 fiscal year. And next year’s federal deficit will once again eclipse the $10 billion limit promised on the campaign trail, with no near-term ...

2. Wartime presidents added most to U.S. federal debt-to-GDP ratio

   The total federal debt of the United States has grown steeply in recent years and now stands at almost $22 trillion or about 107 per cent of GDP. While it’s tempting to conclude that the buck always stops with a sitting president, every ...

3. No mistaking it now—the federal government has no interest in balancing the budget

   If there were any lingering doubts about the federal government’s commitment to balance the budget in the near term or next year as they originally promised, they should be put to rest with the release of the fall economic update on ...

4. Federal government doesn’t seem to recognize the hole it’s digging

   If you were already worried about the Trudeau government’s persistent increases in government spending and debt, then today’s Fall Fiscal Update will only compound your concerns. But for those not already anxious about the state of ...

5. The Trudeau and Ford governments—two fiscal statements, one debt problem

   Appeared in the National Newswatch, November 14, 2018 Both the Ford government in Ontario and the Trudeau government in Ottawa will release their fall fiscal and economic statements this month. Despite a tendency to compartmentalize these separate events, ...

6. Contrary to what the finance minister says, federal finances are vulnerable

   According to recent estimates, the government won’t achieve a balanced budget until 2045. ...

7. Deficit spending not a free lunch—it’s a bill to future taxpayers

   Appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, June 12, 2018 It’s official. According to the federal government’s fiscal monitor, Ottawa ran a $19.4 billion budget deficit for 2017/18. And this government’s appetite for deficit spending shows no signs of relenting. ...

8. State of federal finances worse than previously thought

   The latest federal budget showed that public finances are in poor shape and Ottawa is ill-prepared for a possible economic recession. But a recent Parliamentary Budget Office report suggests the situation may be worse than the government ...

9. Federal infrastructure spending—a mess of delays and misguided priorities

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, April 27, 2018 In 2015, the Trudeau government came into office on the promise of running small annual budget deficits of no more than $10 billion for three years to finance new spending on infrastructure projects that ...

10. Federal Deficits and Recession: What Could Happen

    There are serious financial risks associated with running deficits during times of positive economic growth. One of the principal risks is that the budget cannot be balanced regardless of economic conditions because a permanent imbalance between how much ...