OTTAWA — While Budget 2025 — and last month’s spring economic update — set specific targets to reduce the billions of tax dollars spent on outside contractors, newly-released documents suggest the finance department hired out the 2025 budget speech.
According to documents contained in a recently-released order paper question , the budget speech delivered in the House of Commons last November by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne wasn’t written by a member of his staff, or even anybody working for the federal government — but an outside contractor, who was paid $12,168.00 to write the one-hour-long address.
That’s roughly $200 per minute, says Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF.)
“Why are taxpayers paying so much money for communications bureaucrats if we’re then forced to pay thousands getting outside help to do their homework?” Terrazzano said.
“If Winston Churchill found time to write speeches while fighting the Nazis, it’s a good bet Champagne can find some time to write his own speeches.”
Both the minister and the ministry, Terrazzano pointed out, employ dozens of communications staff, public relations specialists and even on-staff legislative speechwriters — full-time public servants who earn upwards of $170,000 in annual salaries.
Billions spent on contractors
Since taking over from the spend-heavy Justin Trudeau administration, Prime Minister Mark Carney made numerous promises to cut waste in Canada’s federal public service, specifically the billions of dollars spent on outside contractors.
In 2024-25, $19 billion was spent on external contractors and consultants, representing an almost $2-billion increase from the year previous, according to data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat — with Canada’s latest Main Estimates suggesting “professional and special services” spending will top $26.6 billion by the next fiscal year.
According to Budget 2025 and last month’s spring economic update, the government aims to reduce spending on outside contractors by 20% over the next three years, representing a savings of $250 million in 2027-28 and $900 million annually beginning the following fiscal year.
That’s all part of a larger goal of finding $60 billion in savings across the entire federal government over the next five years — largely through capping program expenses by less than 1% through 2029/30, and cutting 40,000 jobs in the federal public service.
TheToronto Sunreached out to the Ministry of Finance for comment.
Privy Council Office spent millions on outside help
Last month, theSunreported how the Privy Council Office (PCO) — Canada’s top federal government office — spent over $17-million on outside contractors , despite employing hundreds of employees tasked with doing the very work that was being contracted out.
Despite employing 79 full-time communications staff with a combined payroll of over $8 million, PCO officials spent $5.8 million on outside comms, marketing and research services.
“Taxpayers are sick and tired of hearing politicians promise to spend less while they continue to spend more,” Terrazzano said.
“Here’s a free way for the finance department to save money on contractors: write your own speeches.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
