Archive: October, 2020

This report was prepared at the request of Senator Kim Pate. It estimates the impact of a proposed bill in the Senate, S-207, on sentencing for murder and the cost implications of those changes for the Correctional Service of Canada.

The Government of Canada’s 2017 Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), called for significant increases in funding for the Department of National Defence (DND). In total, the policy projected departmental expenditures of $553 billion over 20 years, beginning in 2016–17. An estimated $164 billion, calculated on a cash basis, was earmarked for the development and acquisition of capital equipment.

The PBO has been monitoring SSE’s planned capital spending with the support of DND. In 2018 the PBO received financial projections for 329 capital projects planned under SSE. This snapshot accounted for all major projects with planned or ongoing spending. In addition, the PBO received updates on planned cash expenditure for 24 projects in July 2019 and 23 projects in June 2020.

This report responds to a request from a Senator to estimate the financial cost of Bill C-7, which broadens eligibility for medical assistance in dying.

This report updates and extends PBO’s analysis of the additional carbon pricing needed to achieve Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target in 2030 under the Paris Agreement.

We provide an updated estimate based on a broad carbon levy and extend our analysis to incorporate additional carbon pricing using an Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS), taking into consideration alternative structures. Estimates of the corresponding impacts on the Canadian economy are also provided.

This report analyses the relationship between federal spending and additional tax revenues generated through business compliance programs since 2015-16 and estimates how changes in funding might affect future revenues.

In response to a request based on a motion from Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway), this report estimates the cost of establishing a Federal dental care program for uninsured Canadians with a total household income below $90,000 as of January 1, 2021.

Mr. Ziad Aboultaif M.P. requested the removal of federal income taxes on Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan (CPP/QPP) and OAS benefits received by seniors with limited sources of income. The funds to pay for the measure will come from general revenue of the federal government and not from an increase in future CPP/QPP contributions.

PBO estimates this program to cost $268.1 million in 2020-2021 and $1,083.4 million in 2021-2022. The time horizon for this costing is aligned to PBO’s September 29, 2020 Economic and Fiscal Scenario.

This report summarizes the federal package of COVID-19 liquidity support programs provided through five federal Crown corporations. PBO estimates total liquidity supports through August 2020, and highlights gaps in publicly-available risk metrics for these supports.