TEGAN HILL
BRITISH COLUMBIA – Per-person (inflation-adjusted) program spending in British Columbia reached its highest level on record at $13,711 in 2025, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“As British Columbians ask themselves how the province’s finances could have deteriorated so quickly, a key answer lies in the level of historic spending,” said Tegan Hill, Acting Director of B.C. Policy, with the Fraser Institute, and co-author of British Columbia Premiers and Provincial Government Spending, 2025.
This study reviews annual per-person program spending (inflation-adjusted) by British Columbia premiers from 1965 to 2025, and finds that the highest single year of perperson spending on record was under Premier David Eby in 2025.
Premier David Barret ranks as having the highest average annual increase overall in per person (inflation-adjusted) spending by 14.6 per cent, higher than Premier Rita Johnston (6.1 percent) though she served as premier for less than one fiscal year.
Premier W.A.C. Bennett oversaw the third highest average annual change in perperson spending at 6.0 per cent.
“Prolonged government spending comes at a real cost for British Columbians, who inevitably foot the bill as taxpayers,” said Hill.
“The goal of the study is to provide historical analysis of this key measure of government fiscal policy so British Columbians can easily understand current spending by the provincial government in a broader context.”
Full Report here
Tegan Hill is Director, Alberta Policy & Joel Emes is Senior Economist, both with the Fraser Institute
