Tabling of the 2008-2009 Main Estimates
For immediate release
February 28, 2008
Ottawa – The Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, today tabled in the House of Commons the 2008-2009 Main Estimates totalling $220.6 billion in expenditures.
"The Government of Canada is continuing to invest in priority areas such the environment, defence and security, health, and social programs," said President Toews. "These Main Estimates show this Government is ensuring that tax dollars are spent on programs that deliver results and are focused on priorities that meet the needs of Canadians."
The 2008-2009 Main Estimates provide information on $220.6 billion in budgetary expenditures, including $79 billion in voted spending, such as departmental operating and capital expenditures, and $107.9 billion in statutory spending previously approved by Parliament. The 2008-2009 Main Estimates also provide information on interest payments on the public debt totalling $33.7 billion.
Main Estimatesprovide a detailed listing of the resources required by individual departments and agencies for the upcoming fiscal year in order to deliver the programs for which they are responsible. This document identifies the spending authorities (Votes) and the amounts to be included in the Appropriation Bill that Parliament will be asked to approve in March 2008, to enable the Government to proceed with its spending plans.
Please refer to the attached backgrounders for further details on the 2008-2009 Main Estimates and information on the Estimates process. The Main Estimatesand related documents are posted on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Web site at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Mike Storeshaw
Director of Communications
Office of the President of the Treasury Board
(613) 952-5051
Robert Makichuk
Chief, Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391
If there is a discrepancy between any printed version and the electronic version of this news release, the electronic version will prevail.
Backgrounder: Overview of the 2008-2009 Main Estimates
Part I – The Government Expense Plan
Overview
The Main Estimates present information on both budgetary and non-budgetary spending authorities.
Budgetary Main Estimates
Budgetary expenditures include the cost of servicing the public debt; operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.These Main Estimates support the Government's request for Parliament's authority to spend $79 billion under program authorities that require Parliament's annual approval of their spending limits. The remaining $141.6 billion is for statutory items previously approved
by Parliament, including interest payments on public debt, and the detailed forecasts are provided for information purposes only.
Non-Budgetary Main Estimates
Non-budgetary expenditures (loans, investments and advances) are outlays that represent changes in the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada. The 2008-2009 Main Estimates include a total forecast in non-budgetary spending authorities of $856.7 million. Of this, voted non-budgetary spending authorities set out in these Estimates amount to $61.3 million.
Table 1 presents 2008-09 Main Estimates compared to 2007-08 Main Estimates as tabled on February 27, 2007.
Table 1: Total Main Estimates
| |
2008-2009 |
2007-2008 |
Change in Total Spending |
| (millions) |
Budgetary |
Non-Budgetary |
Total |
Budgetary |
Non-Budgetary |
Total |
$ |
% |
| Voted |
79,015.2 |
61.3 |
79,076.5 |
79,928.8 |
94.3 |
75,023.1 |
4,053.4 |
5.4 |
| Statutory |
141,595.4 |
795.4 |
142,390.8 |
135,382.1 |
1,285.2 |
136,667.3 |
5,723.5 |
4.2 |
| Total Main Estimates |
220,610.6 |
56.7 |
221,467.3 |
210,310.9 |
1,379.5 |
211,690.4 |
9,776.9 |
4.6 |
In total, the 2008-2009 Main Estimates (all budgetary and non-budgetary expenditures) represent an increase of $9.8 billion or 4.6% relative to the 2007-2008 Main Estimates. This is accounted for by increases of $10.3 billion in budgetary spending (such as the cost of servicing the public debt; operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations – see Table 2) and a decrease of
$522.8 million in non-budgetary spending.
Budgetary Main Estimates – A net $10.3 billion increase
Given both production and secrecy constraints and the fact that the Budget was tabled two days before the Main Estimates, not all new spending plans can be reflected in the Main Estimates. Therefore, while these Main Estimates represent the major part of the Government's spending plans, additional changes to the amounts will be dealt with in Supplementary Estimates later during the fiscal year.
These Main Estimates represent the Government's expense plan as announced in its March 2007 Budget, as well as further updates as provided in its October 2007 Economic and Fiscal Update.
Table 2 presents the total planned budgetary expense of $220.6 billion for 2008-2009 according to type of payment.
Table 2: Budgetary Main Estimates by Type of Payment
| ($ millions) |
Main Estimates |
Change in Spending |
| Major transfers to other levels of government: |
2008-2009 |
2007-2008 |
$ |
% |
| Fiscal Equalization |
13,619.9 |
11,676.3 |
1,943.6 |
16.6 |
| Canada Health Transfer |
22,629.3 |
21,348.4 |
1,280.9 |
6.0 |
| Canada Social Transfer |
10,557.7 |
8,800.0 |
1,757.7 |
20.0 |
| Payment to Ontario |
150.0 |
00.0 |
150.0 |
N\A |
| Territorial Financing |
2,312.9 |
2,142.5 |
170.4 |
8.0 |
| Alternative Payments for Standing Programs |
(3,256.8) |
(3,010.0) |
(246.8) |
8.2 |
| Youth Allowance Recovery |
(717.4) |
(661.0) |
(56.4) |
8.5 |
| Other statutory subsidies |
32.0 |
32.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Sub-total major transfers to other levels of government |
45,327.6 |
40,328.2 |
4,999.4 |
12.4 |
| Major transfers to persons: |
|
|
|
|
| Elderly Benefits |
33,590.0 |
32,059.0 |
1,531.0 |
4.8 |
| Employment Insurance |
15,100.0 |
15,075.0 |
25.0 |
0.2 |
| Universal Child Care Benefit |
2,470.0 |
2,460.0 |
10.0 |
0.4 |
| Sub-total major transfers to persons |
51,160.0 |
49,594.0 |
1,566.0 |
3.2 |
| Transfers to international financial organizations |
693.1 |
539.5 |
153.6 |
28.5 |
| Other transfer payments and subsidies |
29,306.3 |
27,329.5 |
1,976.8 |
7.2 |
| Total transfer payments |
126,487.0 |
117,791.2 |
8,695.8 |
7.4 |
| Payments to Crown corporations |
5,188.6 |
4,997.6 |
191.0 |
3.8 |
| Operating and capital |
55,252.0 |
52,825.1 |
2,426.9 |
4.6 |
| Public debt charges |
33,683.0 |
34,697.0 |
(1,014.0) |
(2.9) |
| Total Budgetary Main Estimates |
220,610.6 |
210,310.9 |
10,299.7 |
4.9 |
| Adjustments to reconcile to the October 2007 Economic and Fiscal Update[1] |
5,392.4 |
5,568.0 |
(175.6) |
(3.2) |
| Net Adjustment, from net to gross basis of Budget Presentation[2] |
15,305.0 |
14,893.1 |
411.9 |
2.8 |
| Total Budgetary Expenses[3] |
241,308.0 |
230,772.0 |
10,536.0 |
4.6 |
[1] Includes adjustments for the impact of accrual accounting, expenditures charged to prior years and an anticipated lapse. It also includes expenses not yet allocated for initiatives that require further development or legislation.
[2] A net adjustment, to account for major components of budgetary expenses that are affected by the move in Budget 2006 from a net basis to a gross basis of presentation (the Canada Child Tax Benefit, department revenues levied for specific services and revenues of consolidated Crown corporations).
[3] Total budgetary expenses are consistent with the October 2007 Economic and Fiscal Update with the exceptions, as noted above, where current forecasts of the statutory obligations have been reflected. In addition, public debt charges also reflect the most current forecast.
