Archive: April, 2016

PBO looks at Canada’s commitment at COP21 in Paris and reports on its potential economic impact, both in aggregate and by sector. PBO estimates the reduction in emissions needed to achieve the 2030 target by combining historical trends in intensity of emissions with the PBO’s projection of the economy to 2030. We discuss how major sources of GHG emissions such as cars and trucks will have to be made at least a third more fuel-efficient, as will the electricity generation sector (almost two thirds), and oil & gas extraction (about a quarter), in order to meet the targets. The technologies to achieve those reductions are already available, but deploying them will lead to a mildly slower rate of income growth as cheap sources of energy will have to be replaced by moderately more expensive ones.

This report responds to the 4 February 2016 Standing Committee on Finance motion. It incorporates data available up to and including 12 April 2016.

This note analyses the implementation of the Government’s spending plan presented in Budget 2015 for the first nine months of the year.

PBO has updated Summary Table 2 (Table 1-2) presented in its 6 April 2016 report Budget 2016:  Key Issues for Parliamentarians as a result of receiving requested information from Finance Canada.

To assist parliamentarians in their budgetary deliberations, this report identifies key issues arising from Budget 2016:  1) the presentation of the fiscal plan; 2) the Government’s adjustment to the private sector economic assumptions underlying its fiscal plan; and, 3) Finance Canada’s estimates of the economic impacts of budget measures.