10 September 2010

Fiscal Discipline

If you want to get a sense of where Newfoundland and Labrador fits on the spending landscape across Canada, take a gander at a comparison of program spending by each provincial government and the federal government on a per capita basis, in 2005 and in 2010.

This basically shows what each government spends – on average for each person  – to deliver government programs and services.

program expenses

Newfoundland and Labrador was the highest spending province per person in 2005, but it was not out in front by nearly the same margin as it is in 2010. Newfoundland and Labrador went from spending $8,572 per person in 2005 to spending $13,300 in 2010.

No other province spends as much. 

Alberta spends about $3,000 per person less.

Newfoundland and Labrador spends $5,377 per person more than Quebec and yet, according to Premier Danny Williams, “Quebec pours its money into huge tax subsidies for its companies, the best childcare programs in the country and massive electricity subsidies for its people valued at 7 billion dollars.”

Apparently, they are that much better at spending money that they can deliver all that on only $200 more per person than Danny Williams spent in his second year in office.  In fact, they are so good – according to Danny Williams - they actually get all those bennies spending less money per person than Danny Williams has in any year he has been Premier so far. 

That is, of course, with the exception of that one year where they bested him by a mere 200 bucks a head.

Makes you wonder where exactly is Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial childcare program then?

- srbp -