For the first time, spending by all levels of government in Canada surpassed the $1 trillion mark. Spending increased by $267.4 billion from 2019, for a total of $1,069.0 billion in 2020. This was a 33.4% increase from the previous year and the largest recorded increase in Canadian government spending. This was largely a result of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Social protection, economic affairs and health care were the largest contributors to spending increases in 2020. Governments in Canada spent $18,574 per person in 2020 in these categories, compared with $12,042 in 2019.
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