Deficits & Debt

Alberta’s Underlying Budget Deficit

— Jan 30, 2024

Alberta’s Underlying Budget Deficit finds that if not for historically high resource revenue, the Alberta government would run a large budget deficit this year and the next two years.

Federal and Provincial Debt-Interest Costs for Canadians, 2024 Edition

— Jan 25, 2024

Federal and Provincial Debt-Interest Costs for Canadians: 2024 Edition is a new study that finds taxpayers across Canada will pay a total of $81.8 billion on interest payments for the federal and provincial debts in 2023/24, with $46.5 billion alone spent on debt servicing charges.

Understanding the Nature of Canada’s Fiscal and Economic Challenges

— Jan 12, 2024

Understanding the Nature of Canada’s Fiscal and Economic Challenges is a new essay—the first in the Institute’s upcoming series on federal policy reforms—that documents the marked deterioration of Canada’s finances, economic stagnation and the collapse in business investment the country has suffered since 2015.

Growing Debt Burden for Canadians: 2024 Edition

— Jan 11, 2024

The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians: 2024 Edition is a new study that finds not only has Canada’s projected combined government debt (the federal debt and the provincial debt of all 10 provinces) nearly doubled since 2007/08, the year before the 2008 financial crisis, but the combined debt now equals 76.2 per cent of the Canadian economy.

British Columbia's Coming Debt Boom in Historical Context

— Jan 4, 2024

British Columbia’s Coming Debt Boom in Historical Context is a new study that finds over the next three years, the BC government plans to add a total of $35.6 billion in new debt (adjusting for both inflation and financial assets). This compares with additional debt of $9.9 billion after the pandemic and $17.8 billion after the financial crisis of 2008/09.

It’s Time to Get Off the Resource Revenue Rollercoaster: Re-establishing the Alberta Sustainability Fund

— Oct 17, 2023

There’s time to get off the resource revenue rollercoaster: Re-establishing the Alberta Sustainability Fund is a new study that finds with spending restraint, Alberta can re-introduce a rainy-day fund worth $9.8 billion by 2025/26 that could help insulate the province’s budget from swings in resource revenue.