Commentary The 2021 federal budget released on April 19 solidifies the legacy of the Trudeau government—it pays for spending with the country’s credit card and shows a disregard for the country’s growing debt. As outlined in Budget 2021, Ottawa expects revenues this year (2021/22) to exceed expectations from the economic update released in November 2020 by $19.2 billion. In other words, the Liberal government expects to have almost $20 billion more in revenues this year than originally budgeted. And yet, the 2021/22 deficit—that is, the amount of spending in excess of revenues—is $33.5 billion larger than estimated just five months ago (November 2020). The explanation is telling. Interest costs on the debt are $1.8 billion higher but the expected additional costs for public-sector pensions are $3.4 billion lower. But program spending in 2021/22 is $54.4 billion higher than planned in November 2020, thus the larger deficit. Put differently, if Ottawa had …
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