Viewpoint: The $15-Billion Quebec Surplus That Might Have Been

Eleven years ago, a government was elected in Quebec by promising to re-examine the functioning of the state and diminish the tax burden of individual Quebecers. However, between the fiscal years 2003-2004 and 2013-2014, the size of the provincial government continued to grow relative to the economy. Indeed, during this period, the Quebec economy grew by 39.6% while public spending increased by 66.9% and revenue by 65.6%. What would have happened if the growth of public spending had been limited to the same rate as economic growth during these ten years?

Media release: The Quebec government would have a $15-billion surplus if it had controlled its spending

Related Content

Dirigisme is still alive and well in Quebec (National Post, June 11, 2014)		Interview (in French) with Youri Chassin (ARGENT business news network, June 2, 2014)