Tom Flanagan: Indigenous Programs and Payouts Help Drive Federal Deficits

Tom Flanagan: Indigenous Programs and Payouts Help Drive Federal Deficits
Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland delivers the federal budget in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 28, 2023. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Tom Flanagan
Updated:
Commentary

When Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented the federal budget, the most obvious fact was the size of the deficit. It came in at $40.1 billion, after having been forecast at “only” $30.6 billion in the fall economic update less than six months ago. What caused the deficit to shoot up $9.5 billion in such a short period of time?

Tom Flanagan
Tom Flanagan
Author
Tom Flanagan is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary and senior fellow of the Fraser Institute.
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