Carney’s Privy Council Clerk Sabia a ‘relentlessly focused’ changemaker

Former deputy finance minister Michael Sabia’s appointment drew praise from Tories, and came just days after he said Canada suffers from an ‘ambition deficit.’
Looking into why the Liberals are opting against a spring budget

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says his government will offer a fall fiscal update, with no plans for a spring budget.
Liberals unveil their vision for CBC/Radio-Canada’s future as looming snap election jeopardizes their plans

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says it’s important to complete her mandate, but Carleton journalism professor Chris Waddell says he’s ‘not sure this will survive much longer than the announcement.’
Federal government suggests some spending it claimed drove fall deficit overrun was already in spring budget

The concession comes in the wake of a Jan. 22 PBO report that found ‘a significant portion’ of that money ‘was included in the fiscal framework at the time of Budget 2024.’
Questions remain about how Liberals missed deficit target by over $20-billion, says PBO

Disregarding fiscal anchors has become ‘a unique feature’ of the current government, says Chrétien-era Finance Canada official Eugene Lang.
A spring election may push budget to fall 2025, says former PBO Page

The lengthy prorogation will also ‘complicate and put at risk’ the approval of supply funds—spending money, essentially—for the government, says ex-parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page.
Expanding AI in government operations, modernizing Service Canada sites among feds’ fiscal update’s public service-related measures

The Dec. 16 fall economic update offers no further details on planned savings tied to ‘natural attrition’ in the 2024 federal budget, but noted that effort ‘will begin showing results in 2025-26.’
Hundreds of billions in ‘contingent liabilities’ loom large over Canada

This year’s increase in the deficit is just the first of many payouts of Indigenous contingent liabilities from the backlog of claims accepted in principle but not yet paid.
Always leave them wanting more: Fraser tops All Politics Poll as he looks to exit federal politics

The results of The Hill Times’ 2024 year-end poll are in. Liberal MP Sean Fraser scores a hat trick and takes the ‘Most Valuable Politician’ title for the second year in a row, while Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre divides respondents.
Some departments ‘stopping the clock’ to prevent contract workers from becoming permanent public service staff

Treasury Board President Anita Anand says she’s currently reviewing spending plans from her cabinet colleagues. But NDP MP Rachel Blaney said it’s ‘really important’ to know who is issuing directives to ‘stop the clock.’