Government spending reached a historic high in British Columbia under former Premier John Horgan in 2021, even when COVID-19-related spending was excluded, says a report from the Fraser Institute.
The analysis looked at the highest single-year per-person spending by B.C. premiers between the years 1965 and 2021. The highest recorded per-person spending came under Horgan in 2021 at $13,250. Excluding COVID-related spending, per-person spending ($12,533) in 2021 was still the highest on record.
The report also said that B.C.’s second-highest year of per-person spending ($13,199) also occurred under the Horgan government in 2020. Non-COVID-related spending was $11,188 per person that year.
Overall, Horgan increased per-person program spending by 6.1 percent over his tenure, higher than his two predecessors, Gordon Campbell (1.4 percent) and Christy Clark, who recorded an average annual decline of 0.7 percent, the study said….