Bob Clewlow’s Post

Con't Two words—spending growth. B.C.’s former status as a low-debt province was due to 15 years of spending restraint that produced mostly balanced budgets (outside of recessions) and minimal debt growth. Since the change of government in 2017, however, the rate of spending growth has exploded and, no surprise, so have budget deficits. It didn’t have to be this way. If the Horgan and Eby governments had simply maintained spending close to the rate of inflation plus population growth, as their predecessors did for many years, B.C. would be in a much different situation today. It’s much harder to build a sandcastle than it is to kick it over. Similarly, it took more than a decade of prudent management and hard decisions to establish B.C. as one of the most fiscally sound provinces in Canada. But it’s taken less than a decade of free spending to drive the province into large deficits, rack up mountains of debt, and earn the unfortunate distinction of having the least sustainable finances in Canada.

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics