EDITORIAL: Will Carney really rein in spending?

EDITORIAL: Will Carney really rein in spending?

Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to dramatically reduce annual increases in the cost of operating the federal government and the latest report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux shows he has his work cut out for him.

That’s because, if nothing changes, the PBO estimates the cost of government personnel, the largest component of the federal operating budget, is poised to increase from $71.1 billion annually last year to $76.2 billion in 2030.

That will cumulatively increase the federal deficit by $8.5 billion over the next five years, or an average of $1.7 billion annually.

Meanwhile the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees hired by the federal government is poised to increase to almost 442,000 during

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