The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Manitoba government to tackle the deficit after the release of the latest fiscal update.

“Manitobans can’t afford this massive deficit,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Premier Wab Kinew needs to find savings instead of borrowing more money on the backs of future Manitobans.”

Budget 2023 originally predicted a $363 million deficit. The government’s third quarter report now projects a $2 billion deficit. The deficit is up $385 million compared to mid-year projections.

Government debt is now projected to increase to $33.5 billion by the end of the year. That’s a $2.5 billion increase compared to the budget. Interest charges on the debt will cost taxpayers about $2.2 billion or $1,480 per Manitoban.

Spending is up $733 million compared to the budget. A large amount of the increased spending is a result of higher than budgeted spending in the health-care sector.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala announced that the government is launching numerous financial audits in the health-care sector to review budgeting and spending practices.

“Its good to see the finance minister looking into this mess, but savings have to be found sooner rather than later,” said Haubrich. “Kinew and Sala need to look for ways to get out of the deficit hole, not dig even deeper.”