Plurality of Canadians Favour Lower Government Spending: Poll

The Canadian flag flies atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 30, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Canadians want Ottawa to cut back on government spending, according to a new poll.

Conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the poll indicated that 45 percent of Canadians say the federal government should reduce its spending over the next four years.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of Canadians said spending should be increased, 19 percent felt that current spending should be maintained, and 15 percent of those surveyed were undecided.

Of the respondents who expressed an opinion, 54 percent agreed that federal spending should be reduced, with 24 percent saying the cuts should be “significant” and 30 percent saying spending should be “somewhat” reduced.

The survey found that women and Canadians aged 35 and older were more likely to want the government to reduce federal spending, while men and younger adults were more likely to want spending increased.

The provinces with the most participants in favour of reduced spending were Quebec and Alberta, while Ontario had the highest percentage of those in favour of increased spending. British Columbia had the most participants who said that no change to federal spending is necessary.

The poll was conducted between May 30 and June 1, and surveyed 1,519 Canadians aged 18 and older through an online survey. The survey report says that while no margin of error can be associated with an online poll, a similar sample size would have a margin of error of ±2.5 percent, 19 times out of 20.

Spending

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the Liberal government will not deliver a budget until the fall, which marked a change from his finance minister’s previous suggestion that a budget would not be issued this year.

The government has provided its 2025-2026 Main Estimates, which included $486.9 billion in budgetary spending, a rise of 8.4 percent more than last year’s estimate of $449.2 billion.

Carney defended the Main Estimates in a May 29 House of Commons debate, saying the higher expenditures compared to predecessor Justin Trudeau’s government are needed to boost private spending.

Carney also announced on June 9 that Canada will be increasing military spending by $9 billion this year to meet NATO’s defence spending target of 2 percent of GDP.

The Liberals’ election platform called for $129 billion in new spending over four years, from 2025-26 to 2028-29, with a focus on what it termed “nation-building” major infrastructure projects as well as different support programs.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.