Budget Analyses
Pushing governments to design their budgets to promote generational fairness is a big part of what we do.

The best way to understand what governments value is to follow the money.

Governments reveal their priorities through the budgets they write each year. That's why we work year-round to assess whether public dollars are building wellbeing for young and old alike.

We recommend better budget choices to governments and analyze the decisions they make.

Explore our latest budget analysis and recommendations to see what fiscal choices mean for Canadians of every generation.

Featured Budget Analyses

All Budget News & Resources

Our Asks for the 2026 Federal Budget

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May 14, 2026
Budget 2026 is the time for Ottawa to trim the $17.5 billion in subsidies that go to seniors with six-figure incomes, and build a new and improved National Housing Strategy....
Budgets, Canada, Retirement, Featured Budget Analyses, Budget Analyses, Housing

600 people join us to learn why we’re failing our kids

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May 11, 2026
Provinces across Canada tolerate deteriorating wellbeing for young residents, not because of a lack of data about its scale and impact, but because of the structural ageism baked into our...
Family, Budgets

Nova Scotia’s deficit isn’t just about Donald Trump’s Trade War

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April 13, 2026
Nova Scotia’s 2026 budget triggered widespread public backlash. Protests forced the government to reinstate tens of millions in funding for some community programs. The deficit isn’t just about Donald Trump’s...
Budgets, Nova Scotia, Budget Analyses

Analysis of the 2026 Ontario Budget

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March 27, 2026
A familiar story is taking hold across Canada. Provinces point to global uncertainty, trade tensions, and economic headwinds to explain rising deficits. These challenges are real, but the fine print...
Featured Budget Analyses, Budgets, Ontario, Budget Analyses

Recommendations for the 2026 BC Budget

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January 23, 2026
BC's 2026 Budget is coming in February. As always, we’ll be diving into the numbers to deliver generational analysis of spending and revenue decisions. For the province to make the...
Featured Budget Analyses, Budgets, British Columbia, Budget Analyses

Recommendations for the 2026 Federal Budget

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January 06, 2026
To build a Canada in which people of all ages can thrive, and to meet respond to the generational challenge set out in Prime Minister Carney’s Mandate Letter, Generation Squeeze...
Budget Analyses, Budgets, Canada, Featured Budget Analyses

Globe & Mail: How to ensure universal health care stays that way

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January 06, 2026
Protecting universal access to healthcare in Canada will require a revenue discussion. Since younger generations already pay 20 to 40% more income taxes toward older people’s well-being than boomers did...
Health & Wellbeing, Budgets, Globe & Mail

The Doctor Shortage “Myth”

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December 02, 2025
A new report from the Generation Squeeze Lab at UBC challenges one of Canada’s most common health-care narratives: that long wait times are the result of a “doctor shortage.”
Budgets, Health & Wellbeing

Medical Budgets in an Aging Canada

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November 26, 2025
New report shows why protecting universal access now requires generationally fair revenue reform.
Health & Wellbeing, Budgets

Did Budget 2025 deliver 'historic' housing investment?

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November 12, 2025
Budget 2025 promises historic action on housing. But buried in the fine print is a surprise: Presently, Ottawa plans to shrink capital investments for housing in the coming years.
Budgets, Canada, Housing

Budget 2025: Who is being asked to sacrifice

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November 06, 2025
Budget 2025 sidesteps a hard truth: neither the Prime Minister who tabled it, nor the Opposition Leader who critiques it, has found the courage to ask financially secure retirees to...Read More
Budgets, Podcast, Canada

Recommendations for the Carney government's first budget

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August 15, 2025
The Carney government's first budget is expected in Fall 2025. Our 3 recommendations help Ottawa deliver cost savings while also meeting key policy objectives in generationally fair ways.
Retirement, Budgets

Recommendations for the Fall 2025 Federal Budget

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August 15, 2025
Canada can reduce pressure on the federal operating budget and manage rising defence costs without raising taxes. Here's our plan.
Budget Analyses, Budgets, Canada

Analysis of the 2025 Ontario budget

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May 20, 2025
Lack of age-based data allows Ontario budget to avoid acting on key fiscal challenges Ontario’s 2025 budget projects a $14.6 billion deficit. It’s striking that this shortfall is so close...Read More
Budget Analyses, Ontario, Budgets

2025 Federal Election: Substance Not Slogans

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April 24, 2025
Emma Buchanan of Visual Change Video sits down with Gen Squeeze Founder Paul Kershaw to discuss Elxn 45. We dive into: The magical thinking behind party promises to cut taxes...Read More
Podcast, Elections, Canada, Budgets

Analysis of the 2025 BC Budget

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March 05, 2025
Boomer Benefits, Budget Deficits: Why BC's Budget is in a Weak Position to Resist Trump Tariffs.
Budget Analyses, British Columbia, Budgets

Recommendations for the 2025 Federal Budget

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February 17, 2025
Canada can help people of all ages to thrive, while growing the resilience and economic security we need to withstand current threats, by following our evidence-based policy prescription That's what...Read More
Budget Analyses, Canada, Budgets

Recommendations for the 2025 Alberta Budget

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February 04, 2025
Join us in calling on the Alberta government to make the wellbeing of all ages a priority in the 2025 Budget. Our budget number-crunching will make sure you have all...
Alberta, Budgets, Budget Analyses

Recommendations for the 2025 BC Budget

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February 04, 2025
Join us in calling on the BC government to make the wellbeing of all ages a priority in the 2025 Budget. Our budget number-crunching will make sure you have all...
Budgets, Budget Analyses, British Columbia

Recommendations for the 2025 Ontario Budget

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February 04, 2025
Join us in calling on the Ontario government to make the wellbeing of all ages a priority in the 2025 Budget. Our budget number-crunching will make sure you have all...
Budget Analyses, Ontario, Budgets

BC Election: Deficits & Taxes with Marc Lee

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October 16, 2024
For our last election bonus, we dip into the sexiest of ballot issues: deficits and taxes. Our guest is ⁠Marc Lee⁠, senior economist with the ⁠Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives⁠...Read More
Podcast, Elections, British Columbia, Budgets

Ottawa's generational fairness budget

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April 17, 2024
Together we put 'Fairness for Every Generation' at the centre of Budget 2024. Never before has Canada formally acknowledged that hard work isn’t paying off for younger people the way...
Budgets, Canada, Budget Analyses, Campaign Wins

What’s behind Liberal promises on fairness for every generation?

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April 05, 2024
The federal government is already demonstrating that ‘fairness for every generation’ isn’t just a convenient slogan. Our takeaways on how much recent announcements will restore housing affordability and support young...
Budgets, Family, Housing

Analysis of the 2024 Ontario Budget

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March 28, 2024
Ontario budget burdens younger residents: large deficit despite little spending to help affordability.
Ontario, Budgets, Budget Analyses

Analysis of the 2024 Alberta Budget

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March 07, 2024
Alberta’s 2024 budget ramps up funding for a medical care system that already spent more per person than in B.C. and Ontario, while achieving poorer health outcomes.
Budgets, Budget Analyses, Alberta

BC makes historic commitment to generational fairness in new budget

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February 24, 2024
We're thrilled to announce pivotal progress in our journey towards a Canada that works for all ages. BC has made an unprecedented commitment to generational fairness in the province’s 2024...
Campaign Wins, Budgets, British Columbia

Analysis of the 2024 BC Budget

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February 22, 2024
BC makes historic promise to budget fairly for all generations, future budgets need monitoring framework to ensure the promise is kept.
British Columbia, Budgets, Budget Analyses

Recommendations for the 2024 Ontario Budget

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January 02, 2024
In a nutshell, we want Ontario's next budget to: Put generational fairness at the centre of policy and budget decisions by creating a Generational Fairness Task Force. Organize housing policy...Read More
Ontario, Budgets, Budget Analyses

Recommendations for the 2024 BC Budget

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January 02, 2024
In a nutshell, we want BC's next budget to: Put generational fairness at the centre of policy and budget decisions by creating a Generational Fairness Task Force. Organize housing policy...Read More
Budget Analyses, British Columbia, Budgets

Recommendations for the 2024 Alberta Budget

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January 02, 2024
In a nutshell, we want Alberta's next budget to: Put generational fairness at the centre of policy and budget decisions by creating a Generational Fairness Task Force. Organize housing policy...Read More
Alberta, Budgets, Budget Analyses

"We have an ageist federal government"

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September 11, 2023
Gen Squeeze supporter Mary Peirson (MD, CCFP) recently wrote to us, “We have an ageist federal government – one that favours older Canadians and retirees in particular.” Here's one brave...
Retirement, Canada, Budgets

Recommendations for the 2024 Federal Budget

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September 06, 2023
Budget 2024 is an opportunity to continue to improve the health and wellbeing of all generations, from the early years onwards. Generation Squeeze recommends four priority actions to address the...
Canada, Budgets, Budget Analyses

Change is in the air

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April 05, 2023
Watching the natural world transform around us is a welcome reminder that change is possible, especially during precarious times. This spring has brought with it a wave of interest in...
Budgets, Housing

A #TaxShift to Benefit the Vast Majority

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May 16, 2018
Why did we write this report? To restore housing affordability forever, we need to think big picture. We need to treat housing as Homes First (investments second). We need to...Read More
Foundational Works, Budgets

Intergenerational Injustice in Canadian Public Finance

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January 29, 2018
Like many countries, Canada has an aging population. While we have a duty to ensure our aging parents and grandparents have a dignified, healthy, and financially secure retirement, there is...Read More
Budgets, Foundational Works

Measuring the Age Gap in Canadian Social Spending

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February 06, 2015
Why we wrote this report Canadian governments don't invest equally in people of different ages. We call this difference in social spending the "age gap" or the "generational spending gap." ...Read More
Foundational Works, Budgets

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