While researching a recent column, I looked into how often Manitoba's NDP government actually meets its spending targets.

The results are disappointing to say the least.

Incredibly, over the last 12 years, the NDP government has exceeded spending budget projections 11 times. This past year was the worst year as expenses exceeded budgetary forecasts by $998 million. I guess that's what happens when you only budget $30 million for a flood.

However, as many are aware, even if you strip out flood expenses, the government spent hundreds of millions more than what it had initially forecast for other government services.

As you can see below, the government regularly blows through its budget by hundreds of millions of dollars. Just think, if the government had met its spending targets even half the time (not including last year's flood), it could have put an extra $910 million back in taxpayers' pockets ($3,033 for a family of four) or paid down part of the growing provincial debt!

No matter how you cut it, something has to give.

Trip Down Spending Lane:

Note: All figures in billion ($) unless otherwise stated. "Core budget" represents expenditure estimate tabled in the budget, "core actual" represents actual core expenditures. "Summary budget" represents expenditure estimates tabled in the budget,  "summary actual" represents actual summary spending. Summary spending figures used as of 2007-08 following a provincial government accounting change. Some figures may not add due to rounding.