One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s taxation and spending plans. To fulfill this role, parliamentarians follow the parliamentary financial cycle, which consists of a continuous loop of activities that take place throughout the calendar year. The goal of this HillStudy is to provide a broad overview of the various components of the Canadian parliamentary financial cycle, and the reporting documents associated with it, to assist parliamentarians in their consideration of the government’s taxation and spending plans. The paper is organized around the various components of the financial cycle, notably, the budget, the estimates and the public accounts.
The Library of Parliament’s research publications provide non-partisan, reliable and timely information and analysis on current and emerging issues, legislation and major public policy topics.