New PBO says economic update lacks details on targets, results
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
- Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
OTTAWA – Canada’s new parliamentary budget officer criticized the government’s spring economic update on Thursday for lacking details on spending targets and results.
Appearing before the House of Commons government operations committee, Annette Ryan said the update provided some metrics on progress but few mentions of risks and specific objectives.
“The update instead introduced a range of new and rather undefined priorities, strategies and general objectives that similarly would benefit from greater accountability, details on governance and other aspects of planning that would inform Parliament as to what results the government is targeting for that spending,” Ryan said.
“The Canada Strong Fund is a leading example from that list.”
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne on Tuesday tabled a mid-year fiscal update that includes $54.5 billion in new costs and spending since Budget 2025.
Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled plans Monday to launch the Canada Strong Fund, Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund. The fund is meant to support nation-building projects, though few details were offered in the spring economic update.
Plans to borrow $25 billion for the initial capitalization of that fund were not identified in a line item in the fiscal update. Champagne said that’s standard practice in accrual accounting.
The Liberals now estimate last year’s federal deficit came in at $66.9 billion, $11 billion less than the $78.3 billion forecast in the 2025 budget, thanks largely to improved economic performance and some lapses in planned spending.
Ryan said the spring economic update mentioned the government’s cost-cutting exercise but it was “fairly limited in terms of the detail it provided.”
“Of note, it did not provide estimates of savings in year one of its plan by department or by estimated reductions in full-time equivalents or federal employment,” she said.
Based on the spring update, Ryan said her office estimates that federal debt per Canadian will rise from $33,592 this year to $38,295 five years from now.
Ryan said her office will publish a series of documents early next week on the spring update.
“Over the next few days, I will be in touch with parliamentarians, including committee chairs, in order to hear your points of view on the best way my office can continue to support your work in terms of what is already working and the aspects that could be improved to ensure better accountability from the government,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2026.
— With files from Craig Lord