I think the one important distinction that you really have to make relative to that period is that, yes, debt charges were high but our debt-to-GDP ratio was also at its peak, at least according to Finance Canada's fiscal reference tables. Around that time the peak of the debt-to-GDP ratio was about 67%. Right now it's 30%, I believe, so it's less than half of that.
In comparison to that previous fiscal crisis period, public debt charges are only around 8¢ per revenue dollar whereas previously 30¢ of every revenue dollar went to debt charges. Even though the level of debt charges might be comparable to that period, the broader context of the government's federal debt, relative to the size of the economy, and debt charges relative to revenue are very different.