Every dollar that goes towards debt repayment is a dollar unavailable for important services or tax relief.
alberta deficit
From 2008/09 to 2020/21, the province racked up $60 billion in provincial net debt.
The province went from spending $61 per person on provincial debt interest to roughly $562.
Alberta’s fiscal improvement is good news, but without significant policy changes, it will only last so long as commodity prices stay high.
According to forecasts, the province's net financial debt will eclipse $69 billion this fiscal year.
A boost in projected revenues this year have reduced the expected deficit for 2021/22, but this will only provide a small amount of relief.
The province's per-person spending is significantly higher than in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec.
By making fiscal rules constitutional in nature, governments can protect them from being ignored.
This year's combined projected federal and provincial government deficits total $234 billion.