You owe $47,300. That’s according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. It’s calculated government debt and interest costs for each province; that 47 grand is the total for each person in Saskatchewan. CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano says, “Governments have been borrowing too much money for too long and now they need to start addressing the red ink before taxpayers get clobbered.” He says Canadians don’t have tens of thousands of dollars lying around to pay for this mountain of government debt.
The good news is, Saskatchewan is in the best position of the provinces. Our debt is the lowest. It’s much worse in Newfoundland and Labrador where the total owed is, per person, $65,200.
Government debt and interest costs, 2021 fiscal year (federal + provincial)
| Debt per person | Interest costs per person | |
| British Columbia | $52,000 | $1,100 |
| Alberta | $58,200 | $1,100 |
| Saskatchewan | $47,300 | $1,200 |
| Manitoba | $53,900 | $1,200 |
| Ontario | $61,600 | $1,400 |
| Quebec | $57,000 | $1,500 |
| New Brunswick | $50,200 | $1,400 |
| Nova Scotia | $50,500 | $1,300 |
| Prince Edward Island | $48,600 | $1,300 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $65,200 | $2,400 |
| Federal government | $32,200 | $570 |
Note: Each province calculates its debt differently, so the numbers are best used as an estimate of the government debt each Canadian owes, rather than a provincial comparison.