Most years the Government releases one major document that sets out where and how it plans to collect and invest taxpayers’ money. 

How much money will go to pay down the debt? 
How much to health care? 
Will there be more money for research and development? 
Will taxes go up or down? 

The answers affect all Canadians, and they will be in that document, the budget. It’s a blueprint for how the Government wants to set the annual economic agenda for Canada. And it’s the job of the Department of Finance to prepare it. The budget, usually tabled early in the year, is generally preceded in the fall by another major statement, the Economic and Fiscal Update.

If you want to know more about how budgets are tabled in the House of Commons, what happens to budgets after they are tabled, and how they fit into the government’s annual financial cycle, check out this related information on the Parliamentary website.

2007

• Economic Statement (October 30, 2007)
• Budget 2007 (March 19, 2007)

2006

• Economic and Fiscal Update (November 23, 2006)
• Advantage Canada - Building a Strong Economy for Canadians (November 23, 2006)
• Budget 2006 (May 2, 2006)

2005

• Economic and Fiscal Update (November 14, 2005)
• A Plan for Growth and Prosperity (November 14, 2005)
• Budget 2005 (February 23, 2005)

2004

• Economic and Fiscal Update (November 16, 2004)
• Budget 2004 (March 23, 2004)

2003

• Economic and Fiscal Update (November 3, 2003)
• Budget 2003 (February 18, 2003)

2002

• Economic and Fiscal Update (October 30, 2002)
• Speech (June 19, 2002)

2001

• Budget 2001 (December 10, 2001)
• Economic Update (May 17, 2001)

2000

• January 1st 2001 Tax Cuts (December 14, 2000)
• Economic Statement and Budget Update (October 18, 2000)
• July Federal Tax Reductions (June 27, 2000)
• Budget 2000 (February 28, 2000)

1999

• Economic and Fiscal Update 1999 (November 2, 1999)
• Budget 1999 (February 16, 1999)

1998

• Economic and Fiscal Update1998 (October 14, 1998)
• Budget 1998 (February 24, 1998)

1997

• Economic and Fiscal Update 1997 (October 15, 1997)
• Budget 1997 (February 18, 1997)

1996

• Economic and Fiscal Update 1996 (October 9, 1996)
• Budget 1996 (March 6, 1996)

1995

• Economic and Fiscal Update 1995 (December 6, 1995)
• Budget 1995 (February 27, 1995)

1994

• A New Framework for Economic Policy (PDF) (October 1994)