When it comes to Canada's finances, the country is aging in more ways than one. With a shrinking workforce, government revenue growth slowing, and costs for healthcare, pensions, and seniors benefits escalating. This issue disproportionately affects provincial governments, who bear the brunt of healthcare spending.
In the recent C.D. Howe Institute commentary "Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt: The Fiscal Implications of Demographic Change for Ottawa and the Provinces," we learn that over the next four decades governments face an implicit $2 trillion liability because of these demographic changes.
Michael Hainsworth talks to commentary authors Parisa Mahboubi and Bill Robson about their research, their conclusions, and the possible solutions to problems caused by this aging trend.