Dear John,

Governments across Canada – particularly the federal government – increased spending markedly during COVID.

But it’s now clear we didn’t get much bang for our buck!

An important new study published by the Fraser Institute today finds that during the pandemic, despite high levels of government spending and debt accumulation, Canada’s economy underperformed compared to most other advanced countries.

Among 40 industrialized countries in 2020, Canada had the 5th highest increase in government spending as a share of the economy, and accumulated debt at a higher rate than almost every other advanced country.

And yet, from 2019 to 2022, among the same 40 countries, Canada ranked 29th on per-person GDP growth, and had the 2nd largest drop in employment in 2020.

Check out the full study here, and be sure to spread this one far and wide.

Sincerely,

Niels Veldhuis
President
The Fraser Institute