Canadian General Government spending reaches a record high in 2023
Spending by the Canadian General Government (CGG)—that is, all levels of government including the federal, provincial, territorial, local and other government entities combined—reached its highest level in 2023 on a nominal basis. Excluding consumption of fixed capital, spending totalled $1,083.8 billion. This is an increase of 10.1% or $99.6 billion from 2022 and marks the second time spending has surpassed the trillion-dollar threshold, following record spending of $1,049.3 billion in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The growth in 2023 was driven primarily by increased spending on social protection, which became the highest spending category by function (26.4% of total spending) for the CGG after being surpassed by health in 2022. However, growth in spending on general public services, on health, and on economic affairs were also key contributors in 2023.
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