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Government spending

Government spending

Federal budget, spending plans and reports on expenses, the reporting cycle, payment methods, investment.

Most requested

Services and information

Federal budget

Government’s plan for how it collects and spends money each year

Planned government spending

Expenditure plan, main estimates, supplementary estimates, departmental plans

Reporting of government spending

Public accounts, departmental results reports, quarterly financial reports, proactive disclosure, federal initiatives

Comprehensive Expenditure Review

Ensuring government spending is responsible, cost-effective and delivers results for Canadians

Payments to and from government

Direct deposit, interest and exchange rates, information about the Receiver General

Quality of Life Framework

Indicators of well-being, used in budgeting, decision-making and reporting

GC InfoBase

Data visualizations about government spending, employment, performance measurement

Federal support to provinces and territories

Financial support for provinces and territories, programs and services

Government securities

Managing debt, legal terms and conditions, guide on financial tools

Government spending explained: Video series

The Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board How government spending gets approved

The Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board How can you find out where your tax dollars are spent?

How government spending gets approved

Transcript - How government spending gets approved

Have you ever wondered how programs like Old Age Security, Child Care, and Dental Care are funded by your government?

Let’s talk about how your tax dollars are used and how services are delivered to Canadians.

Every year, after hearing from Canadians, the Minister of Finance tables the federal budget in the House of Commons.

Think of it as the government’s plan for the year ahead — what it wants to do and how it plans to pay for it.

Once the budget is announced and adopted by Parliament, federal departments work hard to turn the government’s agenda into detailed plans.

Before anything moves forward, the Treasury Board reviews these plans closely.

Its role is to ensure that spending is cost-effective, focused on priorities, and delivers real results for Canadians.

After these plans have been reviewed, refined, and approved, the President of the Treasury Board presents the Main Estimates — a detailed breakdown of how much money each federal organization is set to receive for the year.

The Estimates are updated up to three times a year through Supplementary Estimates, which reflect changes in priorities and address urgent needs.

Next, Members of Parliament — your elected representatives — review these spending plans in committee.

They ask questions, dig into the details, and make sure everything adds up.

When that is done, all MPs and Senators vote on the Estimates through a supply bill — a proposed law that authorizes the spending of government funds.

Once this bill is approved by Parliament, it receives Royal Assent, becoming law through what is known as an Appropriation Act.

Only then can departments access the funds they need to deliver programs and services to Canadians.

It’s a process that may seem complex, but it is built on transparency and accountability.

Your government is committed to ensuring your tax dollars are spent wisely to protect the public services that matter most.

How can you find out where your tax dollars are spent?

Transcript - How can you find out where your tax dollars are spent?

How can you find out where your tax dollars are spent?

Each year, federal departments publish a Departmental Plan outlining what they plan to do and what results they expect to achieve.

After spending a year delivering programs and services to Canadians, they report on what they accomplished in a Departmental Results Report.

Because these programs and services cost money, the government also publishes the Public Accounts of Canada — essentially the government’s balance sheet. It’s a detailed document listing all government spending for the year. To ensure it is accurate and complete, it is audited by the Auditor General and tabled in Parliament for review.

This allows you — and your elected representatives — to see how your tax dollars are being used.

For more frequent updates on spending, departments publish Quarterly Financial Reports with a breakdown of spending over the previous three months, and they regularly disclose contracts, travel, and hospitality expenses.

For even more details, you can explore GC InfoBase and the Open Government Portal — two online transparency tools that make it easy to dive into the numbers yourself.

The Government of Canada is committed to transparency. It’s what keeps our democracy strong.

News

More: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat news

Features

Public Accounts of Canada

Find the government’s financial statements for the previous fiscal year

Departmental Results Reports

Report on performance, expenditures and human resources

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From:

2026-01-08

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