Tory Treasury Board critic Stephanie Kusie recently said she had high hopes the April 28 update would ‘finally outline progress made’ with the Liberals’ spending review, which aims to cut billions of dollars and thousands of jobs from the public service.
Some of the laws set for amendments by the new Liberal majority government are the Employment Insurance Act, Canada Transportation Act, and Red Tape Reduction Act.
The government’s deficit in 2025-26 was lower by $11.4-billion than anticipated in Budget 2025, partly because of better government revenues impacted by higher oil prices.
The federal government has allocated $3-billion over five years for Global Affairs Canada to help vulnerable countries cope with impacts of climate change.
The spring fiscal update also proposed $103.8-million over five years for the implementation of a stand-alone Defence Investment Agency.
The 2025-26 deficit is down $11.4-billion compared to the 2025 budget’s forecast, but will reach nearly the same level projected for 2026-27, with an anticipated deficit of $65.3-billion.
The Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector, established in 2019 to encourage meaningful dialogue with government, remains a periodic consultative body that has not met since fall 2024. And while consultation matters, it is not enough.
The feds appear to be taking an economic approach to reconciliation, but ‘socioeconomic issues are not the only issues’ facing Indigenous communities in Canada, says political science professor Chadwick Cowie.
Despite the differing styles of previous officers, the government should make this appointment a top priority when Parliament returns this week because, as the Organisation for the Economic Co-Operation and Development pointed out in its first-ever review of the PBO (which was conducted at Jason Jacques’ request), this office is the best in the world.
The budget has positive measures, but it fails to provide a credible plan for the future. What is the Carney government’s vision for the future?
This year’s COP is a vital moment for Prime Minister Mark Carney to deliver on a key Canadian climate promise, showcase responsible energy development, and advance economic opportunities.
It is quite evident that we are barrelling towards economic gloom, and creating a society of haves and have nots.
Callers who did reach agents may not have been given accurate information, as a report from Auditor General Karen Hogan found agents were only accurate 17 per cent of the time when asked questions about individual taxes.
The finance minister also committed to a new fiscal cycle, with a fall budget as the new timeline going forward, and spring economic and fiscal update.
Jason Jacques says he found out he was shortlisted for the six-month interim job just three days before his boss’ term expired on Sept. 2.
‘I don’t know that the government currently has fiscal anchors, which, of course, causes the people that I work with a considerable degree of concern at this point,’ says interim Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques.
Delivering a true austerity budget would require scaling back departmental budgets to a degree almost certain to spark political blowback.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sept. 11 that his government will continue to negotiate bilateral agreements, contradicting an earlier stance that it would only honour the four deals signed before the April 2025 election.
A bold, national, community finance strategy would unlock billions of dollars in private capital, create jobs, and ensure prosperity reaches every corner of the country.
Considering this is a government worried about federal spending, making a more efficient CRA could provide the assistance that Canadians deserve from the agency, and make it easier for the government to collect money.
The challenge for the Carney government is to map a way out of this slow growth trap, which is why productivity, fueled by innovation and investment, is the key to a better future.
Perrin Beatty, former president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says the government needs to give a clear indication to businesses what its plans are, and expects there will be some pretty tough news, as Canada’s fights a trade war with the U.S.
The amount of influence the House Finance Committee can have on a government budget is debatable, say observers, who note the fall schedule could provide an opportunity to adjust the process.
We need to double down on what truly makes this country strong: reconciliation, public services, science, veterans’ dignity, and a more inclusive society.
