In IFSDโs Budget 2026 Preview, Part II, Kevin Page, Mostafa Askari and Sahir Khan lay out a framework for reading the budget beyond its headline numbers.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ.
Canada needs investment and growth. But as the federal government looks to borrow and invest, the big test is whether Canadians can see how that investment is expected to translate into projects, jobs, economic activity, growth and, ultimately, government revenues.
Kevin, Sahir and Mostafa have written budgets, evaluated them from the Parliamentary Budget Office and helped media understand what the numbers really mean. In this episode, they show you how to assess whether the budgetโs fiscal and economic story connects.
The conversation looks at:
๐๏ธ Investment and execution: When do announcements turn into shovels in the ground and real economic activity?
๐ Economic growth and productivity: How should Canadians assess whether public investment is actually producing stronger economic performance?
๐ฐ Borrowing and fiscal room: What should people look for beyond the headline deficit, and what do borrowing and debt charges mean for the governmentโs room to manoeuvre?
โณ Temporary vs. permanent spending: Why is the distinction so important for longer-term fiscal sustainability?
๐ Reading the tables: What can the economic assumptions, fiscal projections and spending measures tell us that the budget speech may not?
Weak growth and tighter fiscal room create a challenging environment for Budget 2026. Ottawa must show how borrowing and investment translate into projects, jobs, productivity, growth and, ultimately, government revenues.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ.
Canada needs investment and growth. But as the federal government looks to borrow and invest, the big test is whether Canadians can see how that investment is expected to translate into projects, jobs, economic activity, growth and, ultimately, government revenues.
Kevin, Sahir and Mostafa have written budgets, evaluated them from the Parliamentary Budget Office and helped media understand what the numbers really mean. In this episode, they show you how to assess whether the budgetโs fiscal and economic story connects.
The conversation looks at:
๐๏ธ Investment and execution: When do announcements turn into shovels in the ground and real economic activity?
๐ Economic growth and productivity: How should Canadians assess whether public investment is actually producing stronger economic performance?
๐ฐ Borrowing and fiscal room: What should people look for beyond the headline deficit, and what do borrowing and debt charges mean for the governmentโs room to manoeuvre?
โณ Temporary vs. permanent spending: Why is the distinction so important for longer-term fiscal sustainability?
๐ Reading the tables: What can the economic assumptions, fiscal projections and spending measures tell us that the budget speech may not?
Weak growth and tighter fiscal room create a challenging environment for Budget 2026. Ottawa must show how borrowing and investment translate into projects, jobs, productivity, growth and, ultimately, government revenues.
