Balanced Budget 2016

Q103: Will the federal government run a balanced budget in 2016?
Yes: 65%
(As with Q14, the initial budget is all that matters)

The federal government is planning to pass a balanced budget law, which would require that the federal budget be balanced in future years.  There is some scepticism about whether this law will actually be effective at balancing the budget in future years (similar provincial laws have not always been effective).  According to the PBO, a small surplus is forecast for 2016.

I think that the budget probably will be balanced in 2016; the new law does make this more likely.  Unexpected problems could lead to an unbalanced budget, however.