Government finance statistics, third quarter 2024

February 27, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (EST)

Canadian general government posts a deficit

In the third quarter, the Canadian general government recorded a deficit of $4.8 billion, compared with a surplus of $4.1 billion in the third quarter of 2023. The federal government posted a deficit of $5.6 billion in the third quarter of 2024, a level similar to that from one year earlier ($5.4 billion). Meanwhile, provincial and territorial governments recorded a deficit of $4.7 billion, following a $1.3 billion surplus in the third quarter of 2023.

As a percentage of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), the federal government deficit was 0.7% in the third quarter of 2024, the same ratio as that observed in the third quarter the previous year. Provincial and territorial governments reported having a deficit equivalent to 0.6% of GDP, while they had recorded a 0.2% surplus one year earlier.

Contact information

------For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).