• B.C. debt at $155.3 billion
• Debt interest payments cost taxpayers $5.2 billion

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the B.C. government to stop its debt spiral in the wake of the quarterly fiscal update.

“Premier David Eby must stop his disastrous debt spiral because ordinary hardworking people can’t afford the massive interest charges,” said Kris Sims, spokesperson for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “B.C. is literally sitting on goldmines with a hungry young workforce and an entire coastline of seaports for trade, there is no excuse for it to be diving deeper into debt.”

In B.C.’s quarterly fiscal update, Finance Minister Brenda Bailey reported the province’s debt is now more than $155 billion.

In 2024-25, the total provincial debt was reported to be $133.8 billion.

This fiscal year 2025-26, the total provincial debt is forecasted to be $155.3 billion.

That’s an annual debt increase of 16 per cent.

Interest payments on the debt are costing B.C. taxpayers more than $5.2 billion this year, a 22 per cent increase compared to last year.

“B.C.’s interest charges equal enough money to pay for five brand new hospitals,” said Sims. “B.C. is falling alarmingly far behind with a credit downgrade in the spring and some of the highest costs of living on the planet.

“Eby needs to stop wasting so much money and start paying down the debt.”

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