All the benefits and protections that are afforded by balanced budgets would be jeopardized. They would presumably have to increase taxes. We know, for example, that the inchoate Liberal plan started with a $2 billion shortage. We discovered a rather rudimentary error that would add another $2 billion, and then there's the very significant amount by which they overestimated how much they could get from the tax hike. So what are their alternatives, and what are the alternatives from the NDP, who would have massive spending as well? How are they going to get that money? Raising taxes is one way. Cancelling some of our cherished programs is another, as is going into more debt.
I think our Triple-A credit rating would be jeopardized. Our critical social programs would be put in doubt, and we have made commitments to increase those amounts. As I mentioned, they've gone up 62% since we got into office, 88% here in the province of Ontario. That situation wouldn't continue, and the ability to respond to international shocks would be jeopardized, and then of course there's the moral imperative of not saddling our children with mountains of debt that would also be in play.