Canada's Deficit: An Overarching Economic Forecast

The Canadian government has projected a budget deficit of C$61.9 billion for 2023/24, up from last year's C$40 billion projection. In its Fall Economic Statement, Ottawa stated that the federal debt-to-GDP will align with fiscal objectives. However, deficit-to-GDP remains higher than initially estimated.

The Canadian government has revised its budget deficit projection for the fiscal year 2023/24 to C$61.9 billion, up significantly from the C$40 billion forecast just a year ago. This announcement came as part of the Fall Economic Statement released by Ottawa on Monday.

The statement also highlighted that while the federal debt-to-GDP ratio remains within the proposed fiscal targets for last year and the upcoming period, the deficit-to-GDP figures tell a different story.

Specifically, the deficit-to-GDP ratio stood at 2.1% for the previous year and is anticipated to be 1.6% for the current year ending in March 2025. Both figures are higher than what was previously estimated, raising some concerns about future fiscal management.

(With inputs from agencies.)