Discussion · Government Orders
Michael Guglielmin Conservative
“The government's debt and deficit keep rising, and it is failing to meet its own budget targets. It makes the debt look smaller by counting public pension money. The government needs to make a real fiscal plan and actually stick to it.”
“Mr. Speaker, this is a theme that we have heard over and over again. Time and time again, we have heard the Liberals say they are going to be investing in the economy and they are going to be investing to grow, but we have seen the deficit climb higher and higher, and our public debt climb higher and higher. It is interesting that, on the debt-to-GDP ratio, we often hear the government cite net debt. Of course, that calculation considers the Canadian pension plan. I am sure Canadians would be alarmed if they understood that the government was considering their pension as potential debt repayment. I do not think people would appreciate that very much. The government has these fiscal anchors. It has these fiscal anchors that it needs to achieve, and it seems as though it is blowing through them. If we want to maintain our credibility, and maintain our credibility in markets, we have to make sure we make a plan and we actually stick to it.”
Mr. Speaker, this is a theme that we have heard over and over again. Time and time again, we have heard the Liberals say they are going to be investing in the economy and they are going to be investing to grow, but we have seen the deficit climb higher and higher, and our public debt climb higher and higher. It is interesting that, on the debt-to-GDP ratio, we often hear the government cite net debt. Of course, that calculation considers the Canadian pension plan. I am sure Canadians would be alarmed if they understood that the government was considering their pension as potential debt repayment. I do not think people would appreciate that very much. The government has these fiscal anchors. It has these fiscal anchors that it needs to achieve, and it seems as though it is blowing through them. If we want to maintain our credibility, and maintain our credibility in markets, we have to make sure we make a plan and we actually stick to it.