Government & Public Finances

The Canada Observatory leaf in the Government & Public Finances colour

What governments owe and spend, who works for them, and how Canada’s public finances compare with a broad group of OECD peers. Six views:

Government Finances

Deficits and surpluses, revenue, the tax mix, and foreign aid: Canada’s general-government finances against 16 OECD peers, with the section scorecard.

Public Debt

What each level of government owes and what it costs, quarter by quarter since 1990, beside 16 OECD peers, and the federal debt since Confederation.

Provincial Finances

What each province raises, spends, and owes, compared on a common basis: net debt, government size, and balances by province.

Government Employment

Who works for government: employment by level, the whole public-sector workforce, the federal public service, and an OECD peer comparison.

Federal Spending

Federal revenue and spending back to 1961: by economic type, standard object, department, and function.

Defence

Defence spending against the NATO guideline, and the size of the armed forces: Canada since 1920, the peers per 1,000 people, and NATO’s official figures.