Get the facts

Total Revenues: $459.5B
Total Expenses: $521.4B
Total Expenses, excluding net actuarial losses: $513.9B

Over the past 50 years, Canada’s federal government spending has nearly doubled on a per-person basis when adjusted for inflation:

• ‍1974: $7,330 per person‍
• 2024: $12,574 per person

Government interest payments—what Canada pays to service its debt—have fluctuated as a share of total spending:

• ‍1974: 10.34% of expenses‍
• 1990: 27.2% (a peak during high-debt years)‍
• 2024: 9.07%

Over the past three years, Canada’s spending on social programs, government operations, and debt servicing has increased significantly, while spending on defence and public safety has remained relatively unchanged.

Statistics Canada tracks federal spending across different categories, including:

• Social Protection – Includes Old Age Security, family benefits, disability payments, Employment Insurance (EI), and diversity and equity initiatives.
• General Public Services – Covers government operations, foreign aid, and public debt costs.
• Economic Affairs – Supports labour programs, transportation, mining, manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and forestry.
• Environmental Protection – Funds pollution control, waste management, and nature conservation.

Over the past decade, Canada’s federal debt has more than doubled—from $797 billion (adjusted for inflation) in November 2014 to $1.25 trillion in November 2024. Or from ~$55,000 per household in 2014 to $82,000 per household in 2024.