The Ontario debt under the McGuinty Liberal government went from $132 billion to $169 billion, from 2002-03 to 2008-09, before the global meltdown. When the global meltdown happened, it accelerated exponentially, to the point where there's now a $350-billion debt in Ontario, because of steps taken with manageable deficits during those years. We see the effects right now, where Ontario's interest payments are $13 billion a year. Half of the amount they can spend on education, they're spending on interest:$13 billion a year.
Yes, I do think that's concerning, when you look at the context we're in today and the context we're in today is we have another Trudeau government that said it would have the budget balanced by this year, and it's running its fourth deficit in a row: $80 billion. You're already starting to see some of the effects of that government.
Wendy spoke a little about work integration. The ready, willing and able program helps developmentally disabled Canadians find work. That program was originally funded at $15 million, over three years. The Liberals didn't fund it for two years in a row, and then cut it from $15 million to $12 million, which is a 20% cut, because they can't afford to fund it to the extent that it was funded in 2015.
Look at Canada's international development spending. It is the lowest it's been in years, as a percentage of GNI, and the international development community is starting to notice these things. We're starting already to see the consequences of the measures they're taking.
We have a demographic situation in this country where, right now, we have four people working for every Canadian senior, but by 2030, it will be two and a half people working.