I don't think it's a question of which one looks better; it's a question of clarity and communication. The difference arises because the government's investment in its financial assets or its capital assets might change. If the government buys lots of military equipment, it might borrow money to do that. That appears on the balance sheet, and it might result in an increase in debt even though the new government might be in a surplus position. This is why the Auditor General continuously comes back and says it's not technically correct that the surplus automatically pays the debt. It goes to the accumulated deficit, which is an accounting number, which is different from the interest-bearing debt.
On February 5th, 2009. See this statement in context.