Canadians want feds to cut spending, new poll suggests

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OTTAWA — Time to trim the fat.

That’s what Canadians prefer when it comes to government spending, says a new Leger poll commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“Prime Minister Mark Carney told Canadians he would rein in spending, but spending is ballooning again this year,” said the federation’s federal director Franco Terrazzano.

“The poll shows Canadians want Carney to reverse course and put an end to Ottawa’s runaway spending.”

Fifty-four per cent of those with a decision say they want the federal government to cut spending, which has grown 26% between 2019 and 2024, even with inflation taken into account.

Twenty-four per cent of those with an opinion say they’d like to see spending increased.

While Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government won’t release a budget until the fall — a walkback from previous assertions they wouldn’t release one at all this year — the federal government’s main estimates released last month outlined a $487 billion spending plan, 8.4% higher than last year’s estimates.

As well, Monday saw the PM announce a big boost to Canada’s defence spending with plans to, for the first time in our history, meet NATO’s 2%-of-GDP defence spending minimums.

The poll was conducted May 30 to June 1 of 1,519 Canadian adults via Leger’s online panel.

As margins-of-error cannot be applied to online polls, a comparable probably sample would yield ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

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