Discussion · Government Orders
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Québécois
“The government broke its promise to keep Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio down. Now that the ratio is rising, it wants to change the rules. I support this motion because the Prime Minister needs to answer questions about this at the finance committee.”
“Madam Speaker, I did not want to get into a psychoanalysis of who has what kind of heart. What I am saying is that, for a number of years now, the Government of Canada has been maintaining certain fiscal anchors. It said it would increase spending, and by a large amount, considering the billions of dollars involved, but it believed that the debt-to-GDP ratio would decrease or stabilize over time. That means that it is important for the government to control the debt-to-GDP ratio. Now, in her report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is telling us that the government is abandoning that fiscal anchor and that the debt-to-GDP ratio is going to increase. Since the government is not following its own rules, it is now saying that it is going to change the rules and the definitions. Basically, the motion says that we have questions for the Prime Minister. Perhaps he is the right person to answer those questions. Sometimes we cannot ask him those question in the House, for reasons that I am not allowed to mention, so perhaps we need a more relaxed setting, a little more time and a different format to ask the Prime Minister questions. I think that the Standing Committee on Finance would be a very appropriate forum. That is why we support the motion.”
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Madam Speaker, I did not want to get into a psychoanalysis of who has what kind of heart. What I am saying is that, for a number of years now, the Government of Canada has been maintaining certain fiscal anchors. It said it would increase spending, and by a large amount, considering the billions of dollars involved, but it believed that the debt-to-GDP ratio would decrease or stabilize over time. That means that it is important for the government to control the debt-to-GDP ratio. Now, in her report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is telling us that the government is abandoning that fiscal anchor and that the debt-to-GDP ratio is going to increase. Since the government is not following its own rules, it is now saying that it is going to change the rules and the definitions. Basically, the motion says that we have questions for the Prime Minister. Perhaps he is the right person to answer those questions. Sometimes we cannot ask him those question in the House, for reasons that I am not allowed to mention, so perhaps we need a more relaxed setting, a little more time and a different format to ask the Prime Minister questions. I think that the Standing Committee on Finance would be a very appropriate forum. That is why we support the motion.