British Columbia (BC) has the economic means to increase public investments and more fulsomely tackle big challenges facing British Columbians in areas like poverty, housing, health care, and the climate crisis.

While some big business lobby groups and commentators are trying to raise alarms about BC’s government spending and finances, the latest numbers show there is room to do substantially more. In fact, spending levels still haven’t recovered after huge cuts by the previous BC Liberal government, despite the growing need for social investments.

The latest report on provincial finances shows that provincial government operating spending, as a share of the province’s overall economic output (or GDP), remains well below the levels of twenty-five years ago.