Canada’s debt : How much governments owes in your city....

It’s coming to the end of budget season, that time of year when the federal and provincial governments tell us how much they’re going to spend, and more often than not, borrow in our name.The federal and most of the provincial budgets are in, with only Saskatchewan and Manitoba to come.

 

Considering government debt on a per capita basis, residents of Whitehorse, left, are the least indebted of the 25 citizens surveyed by CBC News, with a figure of $23,165 per person for all three levels of government. St. John’s residents have a total per capita debt level of $47,417 for all three governments. (Chuck Stoddy/Paul Daly/Canadian Press)

Most Canadians are familiar with the federal debt, the accumulation of the federal government’s borrowing over time. That number, according to the most recent budget, will hit $648.7 billion by the end of the fiscal year. The share of the country’s federal debt for each child, woman and man will be about $17,995.  Debt figures, of course, should be considered in light of a country’s assets, the size of its economy and ability to pay interest on its debt, and by that score Canada is in relatively good shape, even if the numbers seem alarming.

• Share
• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share