Alberta’s Danielle Smith ranks highest among sitting premiers for fiscal management; BC’s Eby and NFLD’s Furey rank lowest

VANCOUVER—Among current Canadian premiers, Alberta’s Danielle Smith ranks highest for managing provincial finances, while British Columbia’s David Eby and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Andrew Furey rank the lowest, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Sound fiscal policy is a crucial driver of economic well-being for the people of a province, and the premier sets the direction of a government,” said Jake Fuss, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada's Premiers.

The study ranks Canadian premiers (eight current and two former) based on three fiscal policy categories: government spending, taxes, and deficits and debt up to the end of the 2023/24 fiscal year. Premiers who managed spending more prudently, balanced their budgets and paid down debt, and reduced or maintained tax rates ranked higher.

Overall, former New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs ranked first in overall fiscal performance with a score of 71.5 out of 100. Higgs specifically ranked second on the measure of debt and deficits, having been the premier who ran the largest surpluses as a share of GDP.

Higgs is followed by former Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson (64.3), who was defeated in 2023, but was still included in the analysis.

Alberta’s Danielle Smith (63.7) ranked highest among current serving premiers, followed by Ontario’s Doug Ford (59.7). BC’s David Eby ranked 9^thand the lowest-ranked was Newfoundland and Labrador’s Andrew Furey.

“All premiers have room for improvement and given the importance of sound fiscal policy, they all should look to prioritize restraint in spending, balanced budgets, lowering debt levels and establishing a more competitive provincial tax system,” Fuss said.

*indicates former premier

Media Contact:
Jake Fuss, Director of Fiscal Studies, Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:
Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute
604-688-0221 ext. 721
drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org