I’m Jake Fuss, the Director of Fiscal Studies at the Fraser Institute.
As we approach the end of 2024, I wanted to share some critical research that the Fraser Institute has been focused on this year.
Our work is all about bringing clarity and transparency to Canada’s economic landscape – and our latest studies have uncovered some pressing concerns that every Canadian should be aware of!
For instance, while the federal government often highlights that Canada’s debt is the lowest in the G7, the reality is quite different when you look at the full picture.
Our research shows that Canada actually ranks 26th out of 32 developed countries when total debt, rather than just net debt, is considered.
Net debt is a flawed measure of Canada’s indebtedness because it assumes the country’s financial assets can be used to offset debt. But the country’s financial assets include the Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan – assets that cannot be used to pay off government debt.
In reality,...