Canada Spends

Poor performance should have consequences.

Institutional renewal is important.

Can we have the whole government take this lesson and review how things are working and cut the things that aren't working well?

From 1978 to 1981, interest rates rose 6 pts from 9.27% to 15.2%.

Canada’s current spending plans leave us vulnerable to similar increases in interest rate payments that could lead to a deficit and debt spiral that could quickly spin out of control.

The time to get control of spending is when times are good, not when they are in a crisis.

After budget 2026, a plurality of Canadians think that the government's finances are unsustainable.

Kudos to the government for releasing this list.

The government should be transparent in it's operations.

Banks:
• RBC Capital Markets
• Scotiabank
• BMO

Railways:
• CN
• CPKC

Energy:
• ATCO EnPower
• TC Energy
• TransAlta

Pipelines:
• Trans Mountain
• Pembina Pipeline

Construction:
• Ledcor

Accounting:
• PwC

Legal:
• Torys

Canada's tax system gives seniors an additional tax credit simply for being over 65, regardless of their net worth.

Consider two Albertans.

Sarah is 35. She works full-time, earns $55,000 a year, and is raising two children. She pays $7,765 in income taxes.

Richard is 70. He owns a $3 million home, has a seven-figure investment portfolio, and reports $55,000 in taxable income. He pays $6,452 in income taxes.

Despite reporting the same taxable income, Richard pays $1,313 less than Sarah because he qualifies for the Age Amount Tax Credit.

The Age Amount Tax Credit is income-tested, but it isn't wealth-tested. Richard's $3 million home and investment portfolio don't affect his eligibility unless they generate taxable income.

Richard is likely also receiving $9,150 in Old Age Security payments.

The result is a tax system in which a wealthy retiree can pay less income tax than a working parent earning the same taxable income.