Provincial Fiscal Capacity
This domain extends the fiscal record across Canada's provinces: each province's own stated fiscal anchor measured on a consistent cross-province basis, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer's independent long-term sustainability assessment by jurisdiction.
Current snapshot
−1.11%
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-07-10.
−1.26%
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-07-10.
$15,513
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-07-10.
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Provincial Economic Accounts expenditure over July-1 population of the same calendar year
$16,064
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-07-10.
Read this figure carefully
Provincial Economic Accounts expenditure over July-1 population of the same calendar year
Time-series evidence
Quebec budgetary balance, % of GDP, annual
2007 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Revenue, expenditure and budgetary balance, general governments, provincial and territorial economic accounts, annual · Statistics Canada — Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual
View the data table for Quebec budgetary balance, % of GDP, annual (18 periods × 4 series)
| Period | Ontario | Quebec | Alberta | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | −0.01% | +0.21% | +1.79% | −0.09% |
| 2008 | −0.80% | −0.32% | +2.04% | −0.75% |
| 2009 | −2.43% | −1.03% | −1.71% | −2.42% |
| 2010 | −3.62% | −0.40% | −0.96% | −0.99% |
| 2011 | −2.91% | −0.35% | −0.30% | −1.67% |
| 2012 | −2.21% | −0.38% | −0.63% | −2.02% |
| 2013 | −2.18% | −0.31% | +0.00% | −1.24% |
| 2014 | −1.50% | +0.20% | +0.28% | −0.14% |
| 2015 | −0.97% | +0.81% | −2.46% | −0.06% |
| 2016 | −0.30% | +1.09% | −4.47% | +0.76% |
| 2017 | +0.02% | +1.29% | −3.35% | +0.71% |
| 2018 | −0.93% | +1.93% | −3.00% | +0.57% |
| 2019 | −1.01% | +2.04% | −2.98% | +0.46% |
| 2020 | −1.92% | +1.07% | −5.01% | −2.40% |
| 2021 | −1.16% | +0.96% | −1.74% | −0.79% |
| 2022 | −0.46% | −0.70% | +2.34% | +0.94% |
| 2023 | −0.85% | −1.02% | +0.88% | −2.10% |
| 2024 | −1.26% | −1.11% | +1.29% | −2.19% |
What each province spends per resident
2007 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Revenue, expenditure and budgetary balance, general governments, provincial and territorial economic accounts, annual · Statistics Canada — Population estimates on July 1, by age and gender, annual
View the data table for What each province spends per resident (18 periods × 4 series)
| Period | Ontario | Quebec | Alberta | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $8,514 | $11,086 | $10,155 | $8,960 |
| 2008 | $8,948 | $11,388 | $11,146 | $9,547 |
| 2009 | $9,644 | $11,756 | $11,429 | $9,723 |
| 2010 | $10,862 | $11,837 | $11,678 | $9,848 |
| 2011 | $10,477 | $12,371 | $11,913 | $10,199 |
| 2012 | $10,490 | $12,700 | $12,021 | $10,667 |
| 2013 | $10,672 | $13,190 | $12,098 | $10,456 |
| 2014 | $10,686 | $13,468 | $12,636 | $10,439 |
| 2015 | $11,037 | $13,578 | $12,869 | $10,639 |
| 2016 | $11,112 | $13,779 | $13,572 | $10,829 |
| 2017 | $11,353 | $14,222 | $13,842 | $11,186 |
| 2018 | $12,207 | $14,791 | $13,996 | $11,638 |
| 2019 | $12,213 | $15,325 | $14,303 | $12,209 |
| 2020 | $12,893 | $16,184 | $14,579 | $13,614 |
| 2021 | $13,689 | $17,576 | $15,200 | $14,695 |
| 2022 | $14,010 | $19,389 | $15,210 | $14,643 |
| 2023 | $14,663 | $19,696 | $15,628 | $16,687 |
| 2024 | $15,513 | $20,477 | $16,064 | $17,175 |
What each province raises per resident
2007 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Revenue, expenditure and budgetary balance, general governments, provincial and territorial economic accounts, annual · Statistics Canada — Population estimates on July 1, by age and gender, annual
View the data table for What each province raises per resident (18 periods × 4 series)
| Period | Ontario | Quebec | Alberta | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $8,509 | $11,170 | $11,485 | $8,920 |
| 2008 | $8,568 | $11,258 | $12,830 | $9,192 |
| 2009 | $8,527 | $11,341 | $10,287 | $8,635 |
| 2010 | $9,122 | $11,671 | $10,981 | $9,391 |
| 2011 | $9,027 | $12,221 | $11,676 | $9,388 |
| 2012 | $9,365 | $12,531 | $11,510 | $9,680 |
| 2013 | $9,551 | $13,052 | $12,101 | $9,839 |
| 2014 | $9,887 | $13,562 | $12,896 | $10,365 |
| 2015 | $10,500 | $13,960 | $10,950 | $10,605 |
| 2016 | $10,939 | $14,308 | $10,329 | $11,242 |
| 2017 | $11,364 | $14,873 | $11,214 | $11,591 |
| 2018 | $11,648 | $15,802 | $11,576 | $11,977 |
| 2019 | $11,596 | $16,430 | $11,893 | $12,490 |
| 2020 | $11,758 | $16,747 | $11,154 | $12,188 |
| 2021 | $12,930 | $18,143 | $13,705 | $14,157 |
| 2022 | $13,685 | $18,938 | $17,648 | $15,347 |
| 2023 | $14,045 | $19,023 | $16,477 | $15,109 |
| 2024 | $14,580 | $19,715 | $17,312 | $15,518 |
Provincial spending as a share of the province’s own economy
2007 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Revenue, expenditure and budgetary balance, general governments, provincial and territorial economic accounts, annual · Statistics Canada — Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual
View the data table for Provincial spending as a share of the province’s own economy (18 periods × 4 series)
| Period | Ontario | Quebec | Alberta | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 18.0% | 27.8% | 13.7% | 19.2% |
| 2008 | 18.9% | 28.0% | 13.5% | 20.1% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | 29.2% | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | 28.5% | 16.1% | 21.2% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | 28.6% | 15.1% | 21.0% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | 28.8% | 14.9% | 21.8% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | 29.2% | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | 29.1% | 13.7% | 20.2% |
| 2015 | 19.9% | 28.6% | 16.5% | 20.2% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | 28.4% | 18.7% | 19.9% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | 28.2% | 17.7% | 19.6% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | 28.2% | 17.4% | 19.6% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | 28.3% | 17.7% | 20.2% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | 30.7% | 21.3% | 22.9% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | 29.7% | 17.7% | 21.5% |
| 2022 | 19.9% | 30.2% | 14.6% | 19.6% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | 29.8% | 16.2% | 22.2% |
| 2024 | 20.9% | 29.9% | 16.6% | 22.7% |
Provincial revenue as a share of the province’s own economy
2007 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Revenue, expenditure and budgetary balance, general governments, provincial and territorial economic accounts, annual · Statistics Canada — Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual
View the data table for Provincial revenue as a share of the province’s own economy (18 periods × 4 series)
| Period | Ontario | Quebec | Alberta | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 18.0% | 28.0% | 15.5% | 19.1% |
| 2008 | 18.1% | 27.7% | 15.6% | 19.4% |
| 2009 | 18.5% | 28.2% | 15.4% | 19.2% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | 28.1% | 15.2% | 20.3% |
| 2011 | 18.1% | 28.3% | 14.8% | 19.3% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | 28.4% | 14.3% | 19.8% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | 28.9% | 14.1% | 19.7% |
| 2014 | 18.5% | 29.3% | 14.0% | 20.0% |
| 2015 | 18.9% | 29.4% | 14.0% | 20.2% |
| 2016 | 19.2% | 29.5% | 14.2% | 20.7% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | 29.5% | 14.3% | 20.3% |
| 2018 | 19.4% | 30.1% | 14.4% | 20.2% |
| 2019 | 18.9% | 30.3% | 14.7% | 20.7% |
| 2020 | 19.9% | 31.7% | 16.3% | 20.5% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | 30.6% | 16.0% | 20.7% |
| 2022 | 19.5% | 29.5% | 16.9% | 20.6% |
| 2023 | 19.3% | 28.8% | 17.1% | 20.1% |
| 2024 | 19.7% | 28.8% | 17.9% | 20.5% |
What the record says about this domain
Findings
Quebec's budgetary balance widened to -1.11% of GDP in 2024, against its stated path back to balance
Quebec's budgetary balance (Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts basis, calendar year) was -1.11% of nominal GDP in 2024, vs -1.02% the year before — a year-over-year deterioration. Return to budgetary balance, after deposits to the Generations Fund, no later than fiscal year 2029-2030, per the Balanced Budget Act (Loi sur l'équilibre budgétaire) (Government of Quebec (Ministère des Finances), Budget 2025-2026 (Plan budgétaire), "Un Québec fort"). Countability tests this year-over-year since the province named a multi-year path, not a single-year guarantee; the StatsCan basis differs from the province's own fiscal-year Public Accounts figures (named in a published evidence gap), used consistently here and named in every claim.
Technical details
Registered commitments
Return to a balanced budget by fiscal year 2027-28
Issuer: Government of Ontario (Ministry of Finance). Stated in 2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review (Fall Economic Statement).
Latest observed: -1.26 (2024) against target 0.
Return to budgetary balance, after deposits to the Generations Fund, no later than fiscal year 2029-2030, per the Balanced Budget Act (Loi sur l'équilibre budgétaire)
Issuer: Government of Quebec (Ministère des Finances). Stated in Budget 2025-2026 (Plan budgétaire), "Un Québec fort".
Latest observed: -1.11 (2024) against target 0.
Table and maintain a balanced budget each fiscal year, per the Sustainable Fiscal Planning and Reporting Act
Issuer: Government of Alberta (Treasury Board and Finance). Stated in Sustainable Fiscal Planning and Reporting Act; Budget 2025 ("Meeting the Challenge"), 2025-28 Fiscal Plan.
Latest observed: 1.29 (2024) against target 0.
Institutional benchmarks
Fiscal Sustainability Report 2024 — provincial-territorial assessment
PBO's independent long-term fiscal sustainability assessment for each provincial-territorial government: whether current fiscal policy, held constant, keeps the government's net-debt-to-GDP ratio from rising indefinitely; a 'sustainable' jurisdiction has fiscal room (could spend more or tax less and remain sustainable), an 'unsustainable' jurisdiction has a fiscal gap (needs a policy correction of the stated magnitude to remain sustainable)..
Evidence gaps
Does any single official series reproduce a province's own stated budgetary balance, on its own fiscal-year and Public Accounts accounting basis, in a form that is comparable across all ten provinces?
What is missing: Every province publishes its own budgetary balance on a fiscal-year (April-March) Public Accounts basis, each with its own accounting conventions (e.g. Quebec's Generations Fund treatment, Alberta's resource-revenue smoothing). StatsCan's Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts (36-10-0450) provide a consistent, cross-province-comparable series, but on a calendar-year, National Accounts basis that does not reproduce any province's own fiscal-year bottom line — the same fiscal-year/Public-Accounts vs calendar-year/National-Accounts mismatch already documented for the federal government, on both its debt vintage and its own day-to-day operating-balance measurement (each already a published evidence gap in its own right), now confirmed to generalize across jurisdictions.
Consequence: Countability's provincial fiscal targets (Ontario, Quebec, Alberta) are measured on the StatsCan basis, consistently and named in every claim, rather than each province's own reported figures — pace verdicts describe direction of travel on a comparable basis, not literal agreement with a province's own budget documents in a given year.
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