Lennie Kaplan is a former senior manager in the fiscal and economic policy division of Alberta’s Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance.This year’s budget will show whether Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government is serious about fiscal discipline. Billions in deficits are piling up, and as much as $6 billion in spending cuts could be ahead. Albertans deserve to know what the government’s spending review committee is actually planning to cut.The province’s finances are deteriorating. Updated projections from private-sector forecasters, especially crude oil price expectations, suggest Alberta could face fiscal shortfalls of more than $24 billion over the next three fiscal years — $10.4 billion in 2026/27, $8.4 billion in 2027/28, and $6 billion in 2028/29 — before making any spending cuts or revenue increases. Because Alberta depends heavily on resource royalties tied to oil prices, swings in crude prices directly impact the provincial bottom line.Under the current fiscal framework, which limits how long the government can run deficits and requires a plan to return to balance, the projected fiscal shortfalls are much larger than what the law allows the government to run as a deficit. Even if revenue growth is relatively strong, the gap would still run into the billions. Because the framework allows deficits for only three years, Albertans could face up to $6 billion in spending cuts by 2028/29.These are not minor trims. They are major reductions. That is why the government’s spending review matters.The government says it is taking a “deliberate and disciplined approach to spending and revenue generation.” Fine. Then show it..Much of the work has been handed to the Alberta Productivity Review Cabinet Committee (PRCC), a group of ministers reviewing government programs to find savings. Created in the fall of 2024, it was supposed to deliver real cost reductions and improve efficiency.So far, it has operated with little public transparency.A recent Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy request to the Premier’s office produced 131 pages, many nearly blank, along with references to internal discussions and a shift in approach now labelled “Program and Service Delivery Initiatives.” There is still no clear public accounting of what has been reviewed, how much is being cut, or how service levels will change.If up to $6 billion must be cut by 2028/29, that means reductions in areas such as healthcare, education, and social services. Albertans deserve to know exactly where those cuts will fall.A serious spending review should be clear and measurable. What has been made public so far does not meet that standard..The government says it wants to ensure money is being used effectively. Then it should explain plainly what that means for hospitals, classrooms, seniors’ programs, and front-line services.If the government expects public trust, it must earn it. That starts with full disclosure in this year’s budget.The 2026 budget documents should include a clear section explaining what was reviewed, how it was reviewed, how much will be cut, and what those cuts mean for services. After the fiscal year-end, a detailed stand-alone report should be released, alongside the Government of Alberta’s Annual Report.There is a model for this. The federal government’s Comprehensive Expenditure Review was documented in some detail in the 2025 federal budget. And the Parliamentary Budget Office has said recently that spending reviews must spell out what is being cut, how savings are calculated, and how staff and services will be affected. Without transparent reporting, no one can judge whether the savings are real or what they cost..The Smith government’s recent record on fiscal transparency does not inspire confidence. In 2024, it eliminated the requirement for a full three-year fiscal and economic update at mid-year and later failed to provide a three-year fiscal update by the end of November 2025.Albertans understand that difficult fiscal choices may be unavoidable. What they should not accept is secrecy.If billions in spending cuts are coming, the government must say so plainly, explain why, and show exactly where the reductions will occur. Fiscal discipline without transparency is not discipline at all. It is accounting in the dark.Lennie Kaplan is a former senior manager in the fiscal and economic policy division of Alberta’s Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance. He writes for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy (www.FrontierCentre.org).
