A lot of people would be surprised to hear that Ontario adopted a balanced budget legislation in the 1990s. The first thing the next government did was basically throw it out, and say it's no longer binding. You can pass laws saying well, we'll do this and that, but I don't think they're worth much. I think what counts is that all governments have to face the reality of these deficits, and have a determination to eliminate them. Governments can always find a way around something. I don't think writing something into law, and then expecting that future governments will be held by that, is realistic.
