Lori Turnbull, a political scientist at Dalhousie University

Lori Turnbull, a political scientist at Dalhousie University, is questioning how Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to achieve the significant spending cuts he has outlined for the federal government.

Carney has set targets of a 7 per cent reduction in spending by 2026, 10 per cent by 2027, and 15 per cent by 2028. While he has assured that these cuts will not affect social programs or provincial transfer payments, Turnbull is concerned about the potential impact on other areas of government spending.

She notes that Carney initially campaigned on reducing the annual growth rate of federal expenditures from 9 per cent to 2 per cent, which is a more moderate approach compared to the proposed cuts.

Turnbull suggests that as the percentage of cuts increases, it may become challenging to find areas to reduce spending without causing substantial negative effects, such as job losses. She also points out that the devil is in the details, and without clear information on where the cuts will be made, it is difficult to assess the overall impact on the country's economy and public services.

This situation underscores the complexity of fiscal policy-making, where balancing the need for fiscal prudence with maintaining social welfare and economic growth is a delicate task.

Governments often face criticism for cutting spending too aggressively, which can lead to reduced services and higher unemployment, or for not cutting enough, resulting in increased debt and potential economic instability. It remains to be seen how Carney's government will navigate these challenges and meet the spending reduction targets without causing significant disruptions.