Survey finds majority of Canadians think federal Liberals are overspending

Most Canadians think the federal government is overspending, according to a new survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, whose president says it signals a big shift in public sentiment from when the Liberals were first elected.

The survey, conducted last month among a random sample of Canadian adults, asked for perspectives on the federal government's spending and deficit ahead of its 2024 budget, set to be released next week.

It found that 59 per cent of Canadians believe the federal Liberals are spending too much, while 18 per cent said they think spending is within an acceptable range. Just eight per cent of respondents said they believe the federal government is underspending.

“The Liberals, politically, have always been a pretty ‘spend-y’ gang,” Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl told BNN Bloomberg in a Thursday television interview.