I have a new report out by the Fraser Institute in celebration of Canada's 150th Anniversary. It is titled
A Federal Fiscal History: Canada, 1867 to 2017 and tracks federal government spending, revenue, deficits, debt and spending and revenue composition from 1867 to 2017. You can get the executive summary and the full report
here. However, is a quick round-up of some federal fiscal highlights over the years:
Some Federal Government
Fiscal Highlights: 1867-2017
Total Federal
Spending in Current Dollars
1867 $14
million
1927 $380
million
1967 $12
billion
2017 (est) $331
billion
Real Per Capita
Federal Spending in 2014 Dollars
1867 $133
1927 $660
1967 $3,651
2017 (est) $8,004
Federal Government
Expenditures as a Share of GDP
1867 5%
1927 7%
1967 17%
2017 (est) 16%
Net Federal
Government Debt in Current Dollars
1867 $76
million
1927 $2
billion
1967 $19
billion
2017 (est) $760
billion
Personal Income Tax
Share of Federal Government Revenue
1867 0%
1927 5%
1967 33%
2017 (est) 51%
Longest Consecutive
String of Deficits
27 years (1970-1996):
Accumulated deficits: $555 billion
Longest Consecutive
String of Surpluses
11 years (1997-2007):
Accumulated surpluses: $105 billion
Biggest Deficit
Nominal dollars 2009 -$55.6
billion
As Share of GDP 1943 -22.5%
Biggest Surplus
Nominal dollars 2000 19.9
billion dollars
As Share of GDP 1947 4.8%
