In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s provincial governments have provided measures to support the federal economic response plan. This summary outlines the business and employer programs province-by-province.
Beyond the federal measures introduced in the wake of COVID-19, Canada’s provinces are also offering a range of support to help employees and individuals navigate the ongoing pandemic. Here’s a summary of the provincial responses for employees and individuals coast to coast.
On June 17, 2020, Finance Minister Darlene Compton tabled PEI’s 2020-21 budget. The estimates provided in Budget 2020 show a deficit of $3.7 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
On June 15, 2020, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer tabled Saskatchewan’s 2020-21 budget. For 2020-21, the government has projected revenues of $13.6 billion (a decrease of 8.3% from last year) and expenses of $16.1 billion (an increase of 7.2% from the prior year’s budget) resulting in a deficit of approximately $2.4 billion. Due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has not provided projections for future years.
On March 19, 2020, Finance Minister Scott Fielding tabled Manitoba’s 2020-21 budget (Budget 2020). The provincial government forecasts strong revenue growth in 2020-21 with a projected increase of $712 million, or 4.2% from last year.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer was scheduled to table Saskatchewan’s 2020-21 budget on March 18, 2020, however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the government has postponed the release of the province’s full budget.
On February 27, 2020, Finance Minister Travis Toews tabled Alberta’s 2020-21 budget (Budget 2020). The United Conservative Party’s (UCP) second budget continues the trend started with the previous year’s budget to reduce annual spending, but also provides two new excise tax measures.
