Finance Minister Paid $12K to Outside Contractor for Budget Speech
OTTAWA — Despite promises to cut spending on outside contractors, Canada's Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne paid an outside contractor $12,168 to write the 2025 budget speech delivered in the House of Commons last November, according to newly-released documents.
The speech, which lasted approximately one hour, was not written by a member of the minister's staff or any federal government employee, but by an external contractor. Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), criticized the expenditure, noting that it amounts to roughly $200 per minute.
“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 employ dozens of communications staff, public relations specialists, and on-staff legislative speechwriters — full-time public servants earning upwards of $170,000 in annual salaries.
Billions Spent on Contractors
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who succeeded the spend-heavy Justin Trudeau administration, has made numerous promises to cut waste in Canada’s federal public service, particularly the billions spent on outside contractors. In 2024-25, $19 billion was spent on external contractors and consultants, an increase of almost $2 billion from the previous year, according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Canada’s latest Main Estimates suggest “professional and special services” spending will top $26.6 billion by the next fiscal year.
Budget 2025 and last month’s spring economic update aim to reduce spending on outside contractors by 20% over three years, saving $250 million in 2027-28 and $900 million annually starting the following fiscal year. These measures are part of a broader goal to find $60 billion in savings across the federal government over five years, largely by capping program expenses at less than 1% through 2029/30 and cutting 40,000 federal public service jobs.
Privy Council Office Also Under Scrutiny
Last month, the Toronto Sun reported that 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 similar work. PCO employs 79 full-time communications staff with a combined payroll of over $8 million, yet spent $5.8 million on external communications, 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.”
The Toronto Sun reached out to the Ministry of Finance for comment but did not receive a response.
