Ontario Government Policy: Government Spending and Oversight (Details)

Policy change and implementation generally require spending commitments.  The following considerations may help you to plan out your research:

1. Generally speaking, Government first sets out its economic policy through the presentation of a Budget once a year and economic statements at other times of the year.
2. Legislation is introduced to enable spending (administrative changes are made, new agencies are created, etc.)
3. The Government submits its projected annual expenditures for parliamentary approval through Supply Bills.
4. Certain bodies and institutions are involved in Oversight before, during, and after the process.

• Speeches from the Throne (1975+)
  The Speech from the Throne sets forth in detail the government's views on the province's economic conditions and provides some indication of what it intends to do in the coming Session. They are delivered at the beginning of each Session and are reproduced in the Legislative Assembly Hansard (debates). If it is the 1st Session following an election then the Speech is delivered at the 2nd Sitting. If it is other then the first session, it is delivered at the 2nd Sitting. From 1975 to the present they are found on the Legislative Assembly website. To locate them, navigate to the Session of interest.
• Ontario Budget
  A financial roadmap that sets the priorities for government spending. It is normally accompanied by analytical documents, charts, and so on. It is tabled in the Legislative Assembly and accompanied by a speech by the Finance Minister. 
  • Internet Archive (1868-1995)
  • Archives of Ontario Site (1956-2016)
  • Ministry of Finance Archived Site (2010-2016)
  • Ministry of Finance Archived Site (2017)
  • Budget (2020)
  • Budget (2023)
• Fall Statement and Economic Outlook
  Interim assessment updating the economic assumptions upon which the budget is based and used to revise revenue and expenditure projections for the current fiscal year.
  • Ontario Legislative Assembly Library Collection (PDF) (1995-2018)
  • Ministry of Finance Archived Site (2010-2016)
  • Ministry of Finance Archived Site (2017)
  • Fall Statement (2018)
  • Fall Statement (2019)
  • Fall Statement (2020)
  • Fall Statement (2022)
• Expenditure Estimates (2001+)
  Detailed plan of expenditures by Department or Agency. The Estimates detail what the government intends to spend. The Public Accounts detail what it did spend.
  • Internet Archive (1871-2001)
• Public Accounts 
  A detailed account of the spending, by Department or Agency. The Estimates detail what the government intends to spend. The Public Accounts detail what it did spend.
  • Internet Archive (1871-2001)
  • Archived Government of Ontario Collection (1994/95-)

Budget Implementation Acts lay the groundwork for government spending. If laws need to be changed, government agencies created, merged, or eliminated to enable the government to carry out measures promised in the budget, they are done via Implementation Acts. 

• Ontario Legislative Assembly Bills (1994+)
  Budget Implementation bills generally include Budget Measures in the short title and have "An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various Acts" or some variation as the long title. 

Once the Estimates are tabled, . 

The following table lists the more prominent departments and the Committees to which their Votes are currently sent. Note: This can and does change from Session to Session. If the table does not yield the information sought, follow the instructions below. 

A variety of agencies and offices track and evaluate government activities. The most important include:

• Financial Accountability Office of Ontario
  Provides the Legislative Assembly with independent analysis of the province's finances and the economy.
  • Reports (2016+)
  • Backgrounders, Commentary and Analysis (2016+)
• Office of the Auditor General
  Independent office of the Legislative Assembly that conducts audits of the provincial government, its ministries and agencies, and selected organizations that receive provincial funding, including hospitals, colleges and universities, and school boards.
  • Annual Reports (2014+) and Archives (1997-2013)
  • Special Reports (2014+) and Archives (1997-2013)
• Office of the Ombudsman
  Responsible for investigating complaints from the public regarding maladministration and systemic injustices. 
  • Resources 
  • Annual Reports 
• Office of the Environmental Commissioner
  Responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Environmental Bill of Rights and reporting on Ontario’s progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Reports 
• Office of the Integrity Commissioner
  Responsible for monitoring ethics violations by MPPs, expenses of cabinet ministers, leaders of the Opposition, their staff and and
  -senior executives of selected ministries, agencies, boards, and commissions, receiving disclosures of wrongdoing (whistleblowing) by members of the public service, and overseeing lobby registration. Merged with the Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner in December, 2018. 
  • Expense Review Reports (2002+) 
  • Lobbyist Registration Portal
• Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
  Oversees the administration of Ontario's  privacy and access laws, specifically, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), and the Personal Health Information Protection Act. 
  • Annual Reports (1995+)

• Government Information Guides
• Data & Statistics
• Omni Guide
• Citing Government Information
• Academic Integrity
• Ask & Services