CALGARY—The federal government’s deficit in 2017 would have reached a staggering $39 billion—instead of the $19 billion actually recorded—if not for the disproportionate net revenue contributions from Alberta, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Canadians are aware of Ottawa’s recent large deficits, but it’s less well known that the financial contributions of Albertans every year keep those deficits from being much larger,” said Ben Eisen, Fraser Institute senior fellow and co-author of How Albertans Continue to keep Federal Finances Afloat.