The Characteristics of Fiscal Policy in Canada

Ronald Kneebone and Kenneth McKenzie

Canadian Public Policy, 1999, vol. 25, issue 4, 483-501

Abstract: We employ a methodology that distinguishes between discretionary and non-discretionary changes in provincial and federal fiscal policy. We find substantial variation in the discretionary policy of Canadian governments, across both time and jurisdictions. We uncover a marked asymmetry in the composition of discretionary fiscal stances. Fiscal retrenchments have tended to be dominated by a "balance" between spending cuts and tax increases, while fiscal expansions have been largely expenditure dominant. This asymmetry suggests a historic bias toward expanding the size of the public sector. The most recent fiscal retrenchment at both the federal and provincial level (1993-1996) breaks from this historical tendency by being largely expenditure dominant.

Date: 1999
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Working Paper: The Characteristics of Fiscal Policy in Canada (1998)
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