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Department of Finance Canada

What Department of Finance Canada spent in fiscal year 2018-19: its net expenditure by standard object, from the Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II.

What Department of Finance Canada does

The Department of Finance (Finance Canada) is a central federal department responsible for overseeing the nation's economic and fiscal policies, ensuring financial stability, and managing the government's fiscal framework. Established in 1867 as one of the original departments following Confederation, it advises the Prime Minister and Cabinet on economic matters, develops tax and tariff policies, and prepares the annual federal budget.

Spending, 2018-19

Net spending, 2018-19

$94.1B

spent by Department of Finance Canada, less revenues it kept

Share, 2018-19

34.0%

of the net spending of every federal organization

How did Department of Finance Canada spend its budget in 2018-19?

By standard object. Revenues it kept are negative and netted against its spending. Transfer payments are broken into their largest named programs.

Spending by standard object, 2018-19

Transfer payments

Public debt charges

Other subsidies and payments

Personnel

Utilities, materials and supplies

Professional and special services

Transportation and communications

Information

Rentals

Acquisition of machinery and equipment

Repair and maintenance

$71.1B

$22.2B

$578M

$97.2M

$91.1M

$11.5M

$3.7M

$2.3M

$2.1M

$1.6M

$436K

Total: $94.1B.

Workforce, 2018-19

Full-time equivalents

810

the actual FTEs of its programs, as GC InfoBase reports them

Personnel spending

$97.2M

salaries, wages and benefits (the personnel standard object)

Personnel spending per FTE

$120K

personnel spending divided by full-time equivalents

A full-time equivalent is a measure of employment, not a headcount: two half-time employees are one FTE. Personnel spending includes benefits and pension contributions, so per FTE it is not an average salary.

Transfer payment programs, 2018-19

The grants, contributions and other transfers Department of Finance Canada paid, program by program: $71.1B in all, against $71.1B for the transfer payments object above (the Public Accounts publish the two tables separately).

Canada Health Transfer (Part V.1-Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act)PaymentsOther transfer$38,567,524,392
Fiscal Equalization (Part I-Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act)PaymentsOther transfer$18,958,259,000
Canada Social Transfer (Part V.1-Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act)PaymentsOther transfer$14,160,847,000
Territorial Financing (Part I.1 - Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act)PaymentsOther transfer$3,785,321,565
Payments to International Development AssociationPaymentsOther transfer$441,610,000
Establishment of a Canadian Securities Regulation and Canadian Regulatory AuthorityPaymentsOther transfer$77,100,000
Debt payments on behalf of poor countries to International Organizations pursuant to section 18(1) of the Economic Recovery ActPaymentsOther transfer$51,200,000
Statutory Subsidies (Constitution Acts, 1867-1982, and Other Statutory Authorities)PaymentsOther transfer$42,483,704
Additional Fiscal Equalization Offset Payment to Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador Additional Fiscal Equalization Offshore Payments Act)PaymentsOther transfer$18,092,000
Canadian Securities Regulation Regime Transition OfficePaymentsOther transfer$11,400,000
Capacity Funding for Tsimshian First NationsPaymentsContribution$900,000
Research and Policy Initiatives AssistancePaymentsContribution$45,500
Fiscal StabilizationPaymentsOther transfer-$3,066,900
Youth Allowances Recovery (Federal-Provincial Fiscal Revision Act, 1964)PaymentsOther transfer-$914,124,930
Alternative Payments for Standing Programs (Part VI-Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act)PaymentsOther transfer-$4,132,159,000
15 programs$71,065,432,331

Contracts of $10,000 and under

Contracts this small are not published one by one: Treasury Board publishes each organization's totals, by calendar year, for contracts of $10,000 and under (their original value and their amendments) and for acquisition card purchases. They are the value of contracts entered into, not what was paid in a fiscal year, so they are not part of the net expenditure above, and the years are calendar years.

Calendar yearGoodsServicesConstructionAcquisition cardsTotal
2025$22,976$182,918$0$819,517$1,025,411
2024$81,769$119,621$0$1,125,980$1,327,370
2023$37,435$200,241$0$1,402,370$1,640,045
2022$97,970$174,351$0$1,158,374$1,430,695
2021$89,967$257,535$0$792,903$1,140,404
2020$162,287$361,939$0$783,477$1,307,703
2019$138,348$317,347$0$1,179,825$1,635,520
2018$161,931$432,749$0$1,407,913$2,002,593
2017$226,292$385,288$0$1,196,935$1,808,515

Department of Finance Canada’s share of federal net spending