Editorial policy
Accuracy before argument
Our standard is to explain the measure before discussing what it might mean.
Core rules
- Deficit and debt are never treated as synonyms.
- Federal, provincial, municipal and consolidated figures are labelled separately.
- Gross, net, market and accumulated debt are not mixed.
- Forecasts, year-to-date results and audited actuals are identified.
- Current figures include a fiscal year and source date.
- Political claims are evaluated by definitions and arithmetic, not party affiliation.
Updates
Evergreen concept pages are reviewed when accounting presentation or official definitions change. The current snapshot is updated when major federal fiscal publications are released.
Use of automation
Drafting and technical tools may assist production. Published pages are organized, edited and checked against primary sources. Repetitive automated posts from the former site were consolidated rather than republished.
Corrections
Material errors are corrected promptly. Where a correction changes the meaning of a current figure, the page’s review date is updated.