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Growing Government

This study was published in 2007, and the “size” of government continues to grow quite quickly. Tory or Liberal it seems most politicians like their governments plump and happy.

Stats Canada has put out an interesting set of numbers that makes me wonder what “Conservatism” actually means in Canada. My thumbnail sketch would mean smaller government lower taxes (although in Canada that is all relative, I am sure my views border on Communism if I lived in the U.S.). The numbers put out suggest that governments at all levels are still a “growing concern”.

Public sector employment
  Third quarter 2005 Fourth quarter 2005 Third quarter 2006 Fourth quarter 2006
  thousands
Public sector 2,886 3,031 2,932 3,075
Government 2,621 2,771 2,667 2,815
General government 1,123 1,102 1,150 1,113
Federal 370 372 386 380
Provincial and territorial 357 344 359 346
Local 395 385 405 387

Now the numbers do bounce around a little at the Federal level, but still the Federal government is larger than it was last year at that time, so it is getting bigger. This might explain why there are so many NEW housing developments here in Ottawa.

A more interesting question is what about the aging Civil Service? A great many of them are close to retirement, and the Civil Service Pension Plan is very nice. This begs the question, what happens when all of these folk retire? Will there jobs simply disappear (might be the case in some areas), or will their work be dumped on existing folks (likely too), OR will we suddenly have another “hiring binge” in Ottawa (also possible)? Stay tuned folks.

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