Thank you so much, Chair.
My fellow members, it is always a pleasure to see you.
Minister, it is lovely to see you as well.
Right off the bat, I want to applaud the Minister of Finance for his French skills; the calibre of his French is always so good. Although it may have been poor form, my poking fun at the minister's French skills in the past was merely a political response to the fact that, when I asked questions, I didn't get the answers I was hoping for. Now that that's clear, let's get down to business.
Our party is very concerned about how the current government is handling public finances. Basically, its approach is to say that it can borrow money, technically speaking, without really knowing what the impact will be on the country's deficit or debt. The government's approach is to borrow money.
As I said earlier in the House, no household breadwinner or business owner could survive by constantly relying on their line of credit. The bill has to be paid eventually; no one can live above their means forever.
My question for the minister is quite simple. When exactly will Canada return to a balanced budget?