A new poll finds there is growing support for a proposal to lower an Old Age Security (OAS) threshold for some Canadians in order to help reduce the federal government’s deficit.

Seventy-three per cent of Canadians polled this month said they support such a move, which would effectively trim back Old Age Security from higher income tiers, according to Generation Squeeze’s research poll.

Although nearly three quarters of respondents said they supported this proposal, that was on the condition that the savings are used to eliminate seniors’ poverty and reduce living costs for younger generations, the polling found.

Old Age Security is one of the most costly contributors to Ottawa’s roughly $78 billion projected deficit, according to Generation Squeeze, a Canadian think tank advocacy group.

Generation Squeeze says by lowering the current income threshold for when OAS benefits begin to gradually phase out — for couples, from $185,000 down to $100,000 —  Ottawa could save up to $7 billion annually.

Old Age Security is a federal benefit available to Canadian seniors aged 65 and older, with certain monthly amounts paid based on income, age and residency.

However, it gives hundreds of dollars a month to seniors with household incomes over $100,000 per year, which has spurred increasing calls from advocates like Generation Squeeze to claw that back from higher income tiers.

Currently, the government of Canada lists those aged 65 to 74 as eligible to receive $742.31 maximum a month if their annual net world income is less than $148,451. Those aged 75 and above are eligible to receive $816.54 maximum a month if their annual net world income is less than $154,196.

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The amounts depend on “age, income, and the number of years you have lived in Canada.”

That is in addition to money individuals are eligible for from the Canada Pension Plan, or from personal or employer retirement savings plans. Lower-income seniors can also get the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

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OAS and CPP payments to roll out Wednesday, here are the amounts

Approximately six in 10 respondents said they would support lowering the threshold even further to $81,000 or less. By doing so, Generation Squeeze says the annual savings would rise to roughly $13 billion.

The Generation Squeeze opinion poll on OAS reform was conducted in partnership with Research Co. from March 12 to March 14, 2026, and about 1,000 Canadians participated.

Generation Squeeze said in a release that based on their findings, only four per cent of seniors are excluded from OAS because their incomes are too high.

By reducing the income threshold for OAS clawbacks as proposed, Generation Squeeze says the top-earning 20 per cent of seniors that receive the payments would see their benefits shrink, and by an average of $3,000 or less per person each year.

4:12
Is it time to revamp Canada’s Old Age Security program?

The Iran war is the latest curveball for Canadians trying to keep up with the higher cost of living as spiking oil prices have translated into rising costs at the gas pump. Businesses faced with these higher fuel costs are also being pressured and may have to raise prices charged to consumers as a result, including for groceries.

Prior to the war, U.S. tariffs and trade war uncertainty have led business owners to pause hiring plans, leading to a difficult job market in Canada.

The inflation spike since the pandemic combined with higher interest rates have pressured Canadians to cut spending wherever possible to make ends meet.

“Canadians have spoken – clearly and consistently. Prime Minister Mark Carney should use that support to fix and modernize the most expensive line in his budget – and deliver a once-in-a-generation improvement in affordability for young and old alike,” said Generation Squeeze.

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A fire chief of a Saskatchewan village, representing a group of volunteers that battled some of Saskatchewan’s destructive blazes last summer, says the province’s latest budget is not providing enough funding for proactive measures ahead of this year’s wildfire season.

“They’ve introduced the marshal service, but where’s the funding to increase the fire side of things?” Jim Arnold, fire chief of Candle Lake, told Global News.

In the province’s budget announced Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) will receive $138.5 million, up $19.6 million from the year before.

But for Arnold, who heads a group of around 21 volunteer firefighters, this amount is not enough.

“I would think it would be better if the SPSA were more proactive,” he said. “Doing things like fire breaks around communities, doing things like fuel management.”

In the budget, the province says last year’s wildfire season cost the government $392 million in extra expenses, accounting for the largest portion of the $970 million in over-budget spending.

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Finance Minister Jim Reiter says last year’s wildfire season “was an anomaly,” adding that his government is optimistic it will not happen again.

“But if it does, we’ll respond accordingly,” Reiter said Friday at a luncheon with the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s not like if we need more money, we won’t spend it. We certainly did last year, and if it happens, we will again.”

When asked about proactive wildfire spending, Reiter pointed to an increase in the SPSA’s capital funding as part of a four-year commitment to purchase four repurposed water bombers, adding that one is expected to come onstream this year.

The SPSA unveiled its plans to purchase these airtankers back in April 2024.

The province is also doubling its volunteer first responders tax credit from $3,000 to $6,000.

While Arnold supports this, he says he wanted to see more support for volunteer fire departments dealing with rising equipment costs and the need to meet provincial regulations.

“The cost of a single fire engine is now a million dollars. You know, the cost to outfit one firefighter is pushing $5,000 now,” Arnold said.

The province is also putting $2 million towards replacing infrastructure in parks lost to wildfires.

While Arnold says he does not know how this year’s wildfire season will pan out, his volunteer department is preparing with additional funding from his village’s council.

“The bottom line is, we need help funding fire departments,” he said.

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A Nova Scotia politician is urging the New Brunswick premier to reconsider newly announced plans to introduce a toll near the provincial boundary.

Premier Susan Holt’s government announced the toll in its provincial budget Tuesday, estimating it would bring in $10.4 million annually once in place in 2028. New Brunswick Finance Minister René Legacy said the toll would be imposed on out-of-province vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway by Aulac, N.B.

Independent member of the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, said going ahead with the toll will hurt many residents in her constituency of Cumberland North who travel across the provincial boundary regularly for work, shopping and medical appointments.

“This creates a serious fairness issue for Cumberland County residents, who rely on the Aulac corridor as part of everyday life,” Smith-McCrossin said in a letter to Holt that she shared on social media.

Smith-McCrossin said Nova Scotians and New Brunswickers who live near the provincial boundary represent a single connected community, and it does not make sense to create this proposed barrier at a time when Maritime provinces should be working together to prioritize economic growth.

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She said that if New Brunswick is unwilling to reconsider this toll, it should “at minimum” provide an exemption for the residents of Cumberland County, “whose connections to southeastern New Brunswick are long-standing, necessary, and deeply rooted in shared family, economic, and health care realities.”

2:10
N.B. Opposition critical of how province is handling ballooning deficit in budget

Holt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Brunswick government officials said on Tuesday that the Aulac region was chosen because it’s the best catchment area for non-residential traffic. They said they are unable to introduce a toll close to a provincial boundary with Quebec, near Edmundston, N.B., due to an existing agreement with the federal government that does not allow tolls there.

Smith-McCrossin said, “whether intended or not, the decision gives the appearance that Nova Scotians, and especially residents of our border communities, are being singled out to bear a new burden without consultation.”

Megan Mitton, the Green Party member who represents the district of Memramcook-Tantramar where the toll would be located, also urged the Holt government to consult the public.

“We need to have a discussion about exactly what all of this means. This is kind of blindsiding to the region of Tantramar,” she told reporters, adding that Tantramar and the Amherst, N.S., region, on the other side of the boundary, are “like one big community.”

She said she was worried about how it would affect Nova Scotians who regularly frequent her area to shop and work.

“Many people travel across the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick (boundary) daily to work, to take care of relatives, to do lots of things, to spend money,” Mitton said on Tuesday.

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Saskatchewan’s finance minister is opting to wear the same shoes he wore last year for this year’s budget day, saying it reflects the province’s response to “tough economic times” around the world.

“They are in good shape, just needed a little touch-up and they needed some protection,” Jim Reiter told reporters Tuesday while holding a can of shoe protectant.

Reiter also unveiled the title of this year’s budget, which is “Protecting Saskatchewan.”

“You’re going to see measures that the government is taking to help Saskatchewan citizens through geopolitical stresses around the world,” Reiter said, adding that some other concerns from residents that can be expected in his speech include health care, affordability and economic stresses.

Premier Scott Moe has already said Saskatchewan will see a budget in the red, similar to the budgets tabled in other provinces. He owes this to revenue challenges due to trade and market uncertainty across the globe.

“The global uncertainty really does cause me some pause, and it’s likely the last thing that’s on my mind when I go to bed any night, including the night before budget,” Moe told reporters Tuesday at a Regina agriculture conference.

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Despite ongoing global uncertainties, such as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran which has sent oil markets surging and gas prices soaring, Moe says his government is not planning to raise taxes or cut spending on services.

The government has hinted at several major areas of spending in recent announcements over the past couple of weeks.

Last week, the government revealed its new “Patients First” health care plan, but withheld its costs, saying it would appear in the budget.

This health care plan aims to add more nurse practitioners, lower wait times and expand virtual appointments.

2:08
Saskatchewan launches new health-care plan, says ‘standing still’ not an option

“We’ll protect Saskatchewan patients by continuing to invest in our health care system,” Moe said at a press conference announcing the health care plan in early March.

On Monday, the province announced a new data centre in Regina, to be built by the parent company of Bell Canada and expected to generate an economic value of up to $12 billion.

“We’re seeing significant investment in this province, which I think really speaks to some bright days ahead for the province of Saskatchewan,” Moe said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Opposition NDP has been pushing for improved health care while avoiding fee hikes for power and car insurance.

On Tuesday, the Opposition also pushed for cutting gas taxes to provide some relief at the pump.

“The government could show people that they get it and that they are willing to do something, anything, to offer some relief instead of what we’ve seen over the last number of years,” NDP Leader Carla Beck told reporters Tuesday at the Regina farming conference.

Last year, the province projected a $12-million surplus, but it quickly dipped into the red, with the latest update showing a $427-million deficit.

Reiter is expected to table Saskatchewan’s budget on Wednesday afternoon.

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Nova Scotia Finance Minister John Lohr is set to deliver the provincial budget today for the new fiscal year.

Residents can expect to see spending cuts, which will likely result in service cuts as well.

Some cuts have already started as the government announced last week it was closing three provincial museums as well as several tourist information centres.

Lohr asked all government departments in December to recommend ways to reach a 10 per cent rollback of programs and grants, though said it was unlikely all suggestions would be implemented.

Nova Scotia originally estimated a $700-million deficit, but that climbed to $1.3 billion in December.

In January, Premier Tim Houston said it had climbed to $1.4 billion.

N.S. opposition challenge PCs to sit for more than 8 days

As the budget is set to be delivered, Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia’s former justice minister who quit the governing Progressive Conservatives in the fall over differences with party leadership, hopes the session of the legislature that begins Monday is longer than the last one, which was only eight days.

Nova Scotia’s legislature doesn’t have a calendar, and its members sit at the whim of the party in power. Druhan, an Independent, said last year’s short session that wrapped in early October contributed to a “crisis of confidence” in the Tory government, which has a commanding majority.

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“Eight days is not enough to do what we need to do, to voice our opinions, to voice our community’s experiences, to debate the legislation and the issues that are important to Nova Scotians,” she said.

As elected representatives return to the legislature from their constituencies, the government has major issues to address, including health care and affordability. And the official Opposition NDP says that can only happen if members are given enough time to ask questions and debate with the governing party.

“At the end of the day, this government has become expert at not engaging with Nova Scotians around hard questions, including in the legislative arena,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said in an interview.

“It’s a travesty. It is an insult to Nova Scotians that this is how we move legislation through the House,” she said of the recent eight-day sitting.

It’s still unclear how many days politicians will sit in this new session. Premier Tim Houston’s office said in an emailed statement the House sits “as long as the opposition decides to debate the legislation.”

“Our government believes in a healthy democracy and when our MLAs are here in the city, they are ready to do the work,” spokesperson Catherine Klimek said in an email.

Chender also took aim at Houston’s government over its ballooning deficit and reliance on over-budget spending, which doesn’t involve a debate or vote in the legislature. Houston’s government has spent $6.7 billion outside the budget process since the 2020-21 fiscal year, including $1.6 billion in 2024-25.

“They’ve spent a billion dollars over budget every single year, it’s no surprise that we’re in a deficit now. And the fact that they have not been able to make good on any of those promises calls into question the choices they’ve been making,” she said, referring to the government’s commitments to improve access to health care and increase affordability.

The NDP and Liberals have both announced plans to introduce legislation to create a budget officer, a role that exists in some other provinces and at the federal level, in order to increase accountability around government spending.

—with files from The Canadian Press’ Lyndsay Armstrong

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Budget season for Canada has kicked off with three provinces already posting steep deficits, a trend economists say is the result of several factors impacting every part of the country.

On Tuesday, British Columbia unveiled their budget that comes with a record $13.3 billion deficit in the next fiscal year.

In recent fiscal updates, New Brunswick announced a record-breaking $1.33 billion shortfall and Nova Scotia last month said its deficit is estimated at $1.4 billion. Alberta is also forecasting a $6.4 billion shortfall for the 2025/26 fiscal year.

“The increase in deficits is something that is being experienced across the country to various extents,” said Jesse Hajer, associate professor of economics at the University of Manitoba.

Hajer said two of the most common factors are the high economic uncertainty given trade tensions with the U.S., and a change in immigration that is reducing the labour force and slowing economic growth.

But he added there are also specific issues different provinces are facing.

He used Alberta as an example, saying oil prices are pulling down the revenue of the provincial government. Meanwhile, in Manitoba, the province is seeing what Hajer calls a “structural deficit,” in which its revenue base is “not enough to keep up with funding our baseline expenditures.”

“When we hit a challenging time like we are faced with today where the expectations of government are high, the revenues aren’t necessarily there to support and meet those expectations,” he said.

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A recent report by TD Economics suggested the tone by provinces as they ready their budgets will be “cautious,” due to rising deficits, increasing debt burdens, and economic outlooks shaped by slower growth, trade uncertainties and spending pressures.

2:08
New Brunswick projects record $1.3 billion budget deficit

Moshe Lander, senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University, said governments are being faced with the issue that tax revenue is not rising nearly as fast as it could, and yet people are living longer meaning governments have to spend more per person.

“If tax revenues aren’t big, government spending is high, interest on the debt is high, then there is no path in which you’re going to hear a government say, hey, we balanced the budget, let alone ran a surplus,” Lander said.

Randall Bartlett, deputy chief economist at Desjardins, said in a report released prior to B.C.’s budget that economically, provinces have “fared better” than expected in their 2025 report.

This was due to economies getting a lift from historical revisions to gross domestic product published by Statistics Canada in November. That helped assuage some concerns about stagnating per capita GDP and productivity growth and put the provinces on better footing than first expected when entering the trade war with the U.S.

Each province and territory took a different approach, but Bartlett said Ontario and Quebec baked a strong degree of “prudence” into their budgets last year and should see a relatively rosier fiscal outlook by comparison in their own upcoming updates.

Lander said as deficits are announced and some provinces announce their plans, they should work to better educate people why the deficit is there as opposed to what is the dollar amount.

“Then they can understand that, hey, the deficit isn’t necessarily bad, it should happen during bad times. I want to hear surpluses during good times. Then people can be a little more informed when they hear these numbers so that they don’t have sticker shock,” Lander said.

Yet as more budgets and fiscal updates are set to be announced, there is the risk of who could be impacted most.

“There will be pressure now on provincial governments to find savings and to find those savings in areas of service delivery where advocates might not be as strong as in other areas,” said Tom Urbaniak, political science professor at Cape Breton University.

“Unfortunately, that means often that people who are in the lowest socioeconomic brackets who make the least money might be affected.”

—with files from Global News’ Anna Mandin and The Canadian Press

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The outlook for Canada’s provinces is difficult to chart but some surprising resilience to U.S. trade pressures and historical revisions to economic data have most provinces on better footing heading into the 2026 budget season, argues a new analysis from Desjardins.

Randall Bartlett, deputy chief economist at Desjardins and one of the authors of the report published Tuesday, said a number of developments since even the provinces’ fall fiscal updates have shown what a fraught time it is for economists and policymakers alike.

“It is a much more difficult time to be doing forecasting for any economy, really,” he said.

British Columbia kicks off provincial budget season on Tuesday with Alberta on deck next week and other provinces expected to follow with their own fiscal updates in the coming months. The federal government shifted to a fall budget schedule last year, which it justified in part as a way to give provinces more clarity on Ottawa’s spending plans in advance.

Bartlett said at this time last year, the outlook for the provincial economies was “much worse than it is today” as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened waves of tariffs and Canada stared down an uncertain future.

Sharp tariffs have materialized on some sectors, weighing heavily on Ontario steel and automaking and Quebec’s aluminum industry, for example. But thanks to an exemption for goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade, Trump’s blanket tariffs on Canada have not had as much of an impact on the economy as first feared, Bartlett said.

Also giving provincial economies a lift are recent historical revisions to gross domestic product published by Statistics Canada in November. Those updates, based on new information received by StatCan from the pandemic recovery era, raised previous estimates of GDP in 2022 and 2023 across the board.

2:15
Province keeps advisors amid budget crunch

Bartlett said the revisions helped to assuage some concerns about stagnating per capita GDP and productivity growth and put the provinces on better footing than first expected entering the trade war.

“Overall, the provinces, I think, economically have fared better than we had previously expected in our last provincial outlook,” he said.

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How a better-than-expected 2025 will set up the 2026 budgets will vary province to province as new risks have materialized since the fall.

Trade tensions with the United States are expected to reach a tipping point this year with the scheduled review of CUSMA now underway.

Central Canada remains most exposed to Trump’s tariffs, Bartlett said, highlighted by the U.S. president’s recent attempts to target Quebec’s aerospace industry. But he said British Columbia, Saskatchewan and most Atlantic provinces are better positioned with diversified trade portfolios.

Many of these provinces could see dividends from the federal government’s renewed diplomacy with China, which is expected to reduce tariffs on canola — a big boost for Saskatchewan in particular. Increased trade could also see increased exports head overseas from B.C. ports.

Reduced Chinese tariffs on seafood and peas should also improve the respective outlooks for the Maritime provinces and Manitoba, Bartlett said.

2:19
Ontario consumers could see higher alcohol prices in the new year

Regime change in Venezuela could threaten the fiscal picture of oil-producing provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, Desjardins argued. Canadian producers could get less for their product if more heavy oil from Venezuela eventually makes its way up the U.S. Gulf Coast, the report said, which risks delaying investment in domestic production and lowering GDP in future years.

“That leads to reduced profitability for energy companies, which can lead to reduced production, reduced employment and also reduced revenues for the provincial government,” Bartlett said.

Despite the risks to Alberta, Bartlett noted the Wild Rose province comes into 2026 with perhaps the cleanest fiscal positions among the other provinces as it implements cost-cutting measures.

“I think there is an opportunity to find further savings for Alberta and ultimately position themselves well for when we get hopefully a more certain and less volatile regime for global energy prices,” he said.

Bartlett said each of the provinces took a different approach this time a year ago when accounting for the possible impact of Trump tariffs on their fiscal paths.

Despite the ongoing trade headwinds, Bartlett said Ontario and Quebec in particular baked a strong degree of “prudence” into their budgets last year and should see relatively rosier fiscal outlooks by comparison when they offer their updates in the coming weeks.

“We’re expecting some (provinces) to have underperformed or overperformed their Budget 2025 numbers when budget season’s over. But ultimately we’ll probably come around pretty close to where the budget numbers were in 2025, with the exception of maybe Alberta and some of the other energy producing provinces,” he said.

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British Columbia’s finance minister says this year’s upcoming budget is focused on protecting core services, but added it is a budget that is neither full of big cuts nor a large rise in taxes.

Brenda Bailey told reporters during a pre-budget presentation Sunday that the budget was one crafted for “very serious times.”

“There are many who have expressed to me that now is the time to make big cuts and bring the deficit down quickly and there are others who strongly hold the view we should be raising taxes and doubling down on providing even more services than we’re doing right now, and this budget is neither of those things,” Bailey said.

Bailey’s comments come days after Shannon Salter, deputy minister to Premier David Eby, said in an email that B.C. has an “unsustainable provincial budget deficit.”

A recent background briefing authorized by the premier’s office and delivered to reporters noted that the deficit is too high, but the government is committed to protecting core services while creating financial room for any unforeseen economic eventualities.

Current forecasts peg the provincial deficit at $11.2 billion.

Asked if this year’s deficit would be higher or lower than last year’s, Bailey said she would talk about it in the budget but said the plan is for it to decrease year over year and something that will “take time.”

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The minister told reporters that the government has been investing in building for the province – ranging from new hospitals and schools to post-secondary education and housing – something they plan to protect with the budget.

5:23
B.C. warns of public sector job cuts in upcoming budget

She said those investments would continue, with education and health care named as the primary core services the government aims to protect. She added that commitments have also been made to public safety, noting recent investments to tackle extortion threats in places like Surrey, B.C.

Bailey said she recognizes the need to bring the deficit down.

Though she would not give a number, she credited attrition in the public service for a reduction of 1,000 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) and said “that work goes further” in the budget.

“We need to go further than we’ve been able to go so far and you’ll see that reflected in the budget,” Bailey said.

Eby has previously said the government would continue to reduce the size of the public sector.

The opposition Conservatives have said the provincial debt has “exploded” under Eby. When he took office in 2022/23, the debt was $89.4 billion, the Conservatives said in a release, but it is now projected to top $155 billion this fiscal year.

Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar said recently that questions need to be raised as to where all the money has gone.

“When the government is previewing cuts and new difficulties for families in the upcoming budget, it’s a question that must be asked,” Milobar said in a release. “Under this Eby government, announcements haven’t translated into actions or outcomes.”

Sunday’s preview of the budget was the first real glimpse into what was coming. The speech from the throne, delivered this past week, focused on helping the community of Tumbler Ridge recover after a school shooting left nine people dead, including the killer. Six of the victims were under 13 years old, five of whom died at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

Bailey was asked Sunday about supports for the community, including a new school after it was decided students would not return to the building following the shooting.

She said that the budget had been “in the can” prior to Tuesday’s tragedy, but said there is a contingency fund available for unexpected needs. She said either contingencies would be used to help the community, or adjustments would be made in the education budget, noting commitments have been made by the government.

The budget, which Bailey described as “disciplined, focused and serious,” is set to be delivered Tuesday.

—with files from The Canadian Press

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