Massive government spending has landed the four Atlantic provinces at the bottom of economic freedom rankings among the 10 provinces and 50 U.S. states, according to the new Economic Freedom of North America report.
Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are tied at the bottom, just below Nova Scotia (58th) and New Brunswick (57th).
The spending by Atlantic provinces is even well above Swedish levels.
In 2019, government spending equaled a remarkable 55 per cent of the Atlantic economy. By comparison, Swedish government spending equaled 50 per cent of that nation’s economy. The average across Canada was much lower – around 40 per cent, close to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average.