Finances of the Nation: Provincial Debt Sustainability in Canada: Demographics, Federal Transfers, and COVID-19

In this article, Trevor Tombe examines the sustainability of Canada's public debt in the face of steadily rising provincial debt, a severe economic shock from COVID-19, and mounting health-care costs associated with an aging population. He finds that while the federal debt is solidly sustainable, despite a large increase owing to COVID-19, the debt burden of most provincial governments is not. He discusses some of the policy options available to improve fiscal outlooks, focusing in particular on reform of federal transfers.