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Priorities

What the province spent in 2024-25, department by department, against what the budget said. $10.6 billion in all1.

Spent against budget, 2024-25

The budget's original estimate is what the House of Assembly was told in the spring. Departments can get more during the year; the amended figures are on each department's page.

  • Spent (actual)
  • Original estimate
DepartmentSpent against estimateSpentEstimateOver (under) estimateShare
Health and Community Services $4.6 billion$4.5 billion $68.9 million 43.3%
Transportation and Infrastructure $1.3 billion$1.4 billion ($72.3 million) 12.6%
Consolidated Fund Services $1.3 billion$1.4 billion ($99.5 million) 12.4%
Education $1.3 billion$1.3 billion ($2.4 million) 12.2%
Children, Seniors and Social Development $465 million$436 million $28.9 million 4.4%
Justice and Public Safety $385 million$367 million $17.8 million 3.6%
Executive Council $261 million$301 million ($40.4 million) 2.5%
Immigration, Population Growth and Skills $207 million$221 million ($14.4 million) 1.9%
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation $162 million$162 million $500 1.5%
Industry, Energy and Technology $138 million$185 million ($47 million) 1.3%
Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation $104 million$103 million $757,600 1.0%
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture $90.9 million$94.1 million ($3.1 million) 0.9%
Environment and Climate Change $71.2 million$110 million ($39 million) 0.7%
Municipal and Provincial Affairs $62.2 million$179 million ($117 million) 0.6%
Digital Government and Service Newfoundland and Labrador $37.4 million$37.2 million $205,800 0.4%
Legislature $31.3 million$35.4 million ($4.1 million) 0.3%
Finance $22.6 million$66.3 million ($43.7 million) 0.2%
Labrador Affairs $16.7 millionnot printed 0.2%
Public Service Commission $11.7 million$12.2 million ($432,600) 0.1%
Public Procurement Agency $2.3 million$2.7 million ($343,100) 0.0%
Total$10.6 billion$11.0 billion100%

Amounts in parentheses, in red, are spending below the original estimate. Gross spending, before revenue departments collect themselves (federal cost-sharing, fees). Estimates are summed from the program lines of the same report. The 2024-25 report prints no program detail for Labrador Affairs; its total comes from the summary statement.

Interest against health, schools and roads

Interest on the province's borrowing is paid out of Consolidated Fund Services.

Interest on the province's borrowing2
$771 million
Education
$1.3 billion
Transportation and Infrastructure (roads, ferries, buildings)
$1.3 billion

The interest figure is the gross spending on programs 1.1.01 to 1.1.04 in the report, before any interest the province itself earns. Statistics Canada, measuring differently, puts provincial interest on debt in 2024 at $987 million3.

Every dollar spent in 2024-25

  • Interest 7%
  • Health 43%
  • Education 12%
  • Transportation 13%
  • Everything else

Professional services by program, 2024-25

"Professional services" is the account governments use for outside expertise. In health it is mostly doctors paid fee-for-service under the Medical Care Plan, so read the program name before reading the figure. Total across government: $630 million.

ProgramDepartmentProfessional servicesSource
Physician ServicesHealth and Community Services$442 millionp. 165
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceJustice and Public Safety$111 millionp. 179
Discounts and CommissionsConsolidated Fund Services$16.3 millionp. 23
Dental ServicesHealth and Community Services$8.8 millionp. 165
Design and DeliveryExecutive Council$7.9 millionp. 44
Building InfrastructureTransportation and Infrastructure$7.1 millionp. 72
Provincial Drug ProgramsHealth and Community Services$3.9 millionp. 164
Water Resources ManagementEnvironment and Climate Change$3.2 millionp. 89
Civil LawJustice and Public Safety$3.1 millionp. 172
Improvements - Provincial RoadsTransportation and Infrastructure$2.3 millionp. 70
Federal - Provincial Cost - Shared AgreementsTransportation and Infrastructure$2.2 millionp. 70
NL 911Justice and Public Safety$2.1 millionp. 183
Other InquiriesJustice and Public Safety$2 millionp. 174
Geological SurveyIndustry, Energy and Technology$1.9 millionp. 124
Departmental OperationsHealth and Community Services$1.3 millionp. 164

Year over year

Gross spending by department as each year's report printed it. Departments were renamed and reorganised over these years; a blank means the department did not exist under that name.

Department2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25
Health and Community Services$3.2 billion$3.1 billion$3.4 billion$3.6 billion$3.8 billion$4.6 billion
Transportation and Infrastructure$676 million$691 million$708 million$1.2 billion$1.3 billion
Consolidated Fund Services$1.1 billion$1.2 billion$1.4 billion$1.2 billion$1.3 billion$1.3 billion
Education$1.3 billion$1.3 billion$1.4 billion$1.4 billion$1.3 billion
Children, Seniors and Social Development$182 million$161 million$390 million$411 million$428 million$465 million
Justice and Public Safety$253 million$274 million$274 million$337 million$363 million$385 million
Executive Council$88.2 million$164 million$173 million$173 million$190 million$261 million
Immigration, Population Growth and Skills$176 million$233 million$217 million$207 million
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation$46.7 million$50.9 million$47.4 million$56.6 million$86.2 million$162 million
Industry, Energy and Technology$135 million$570 million$441 million$152 million$138 million
Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation$60.8 million$87.5 million$96.8 million$82.3 million$104 million
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture$91.2 million$77.8 million$93.8 million$93.4 million$90.9 million
All departments$8.2 billion$7.9 billion$8.9 billion$9.1 billion$9.6 billion$10.6 billion

The 2026-27 budget estimates by department

Federal money flowing in

Major federal transfers in 2024-25: to the provincial government (health and social transfers, fiscal arrangements) and to people directly (Old Age Security, Employment Insurance)4.

Old age security benefits
$1.6 billion
Employment Insurance and support measures
$1.2 billion
Canada Health Transfer
$688 million
Other major transfers
$318 million
Fiscal arrangements
$228 million
Canada Social Transfer
$224 million
Total
$4.3 billion

Federal contracts and grants in the province

Federal transfers to people (Old Age Security, Employment Insurance) are not provincial spending. They are here because they are public money arriving in the province, and are often larger than a whole provincial department.

Notes

  1. Report on the Program Expenditures and Revenues of the Consolidated Revenue Fund 2024-25, Statement of Expenditure and Related Revenue by Department, PDF pages 12 and 13. Open the source
  2. Consolidated Fund Services, programs 1.1.01 to 1.1.04 (temporary borrowings, treasury bills, debentures, Canada Pension Plan borrowing), 2024-25 actual. Open the source
  3. Statistics Canada table 36-10-0450-01, Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government, interest on debt, 2024 (vector v107647170). Open the source
  4. Public Accounts of Canada 2025, Volume III, major transfers to other levels of government by province, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2024-25 ($ millions as published). Open the source