Federal government's debt-to-GDP ratio rises sharply in Q2

The federal government's debt-to-GDP ratio (as calculated by Fertsman.com) reached 68% in the second quarter of this year, up 70% from the second quarter of last year. GDP came in at $1.7 trillion CAD in Q2 while total loans, securities and other shares outstanding on the government's balance sheet came in at $1.17 trillion CAD.

The debt-to-GDP ratio climbed at a steeper rate this time around than it did during the great financial crisis. During the first quarter of 2009, Canada's federal debt-to-GDP climbed only 38%. If government spending continues to climb and GDP continues to fall, the debt-to-GDP level could reach 100% before the end of 2021.

The debt-to-GDP data has now been added to the dashboard overview page.