During the 1990s, a former finance minister had the reputation of forecasting budgets that were almost balanced, and some considerable surpluses. These surpluses were not necessarily reinvested in programs. They were used to reimburse the debt.
One can't really help but think that some of it is actually used to modify public opinion so that will decrease expectations in comparison with the expectations that were raised during, for example, the electoral campaign.
Is there not a risk at this time, a somewhat similar risk of lowering people's expectations regarding reinvestment and change, as you mentioned? In the final analysis, you are going to try to take advantage of the situation to postpone commitments or investments Canadians voted for last October.