Mr. Speaker, in lowering this rating, the
DBRS was following the lead taken by another agency last year, that is to say before our budget. So, no connection can possibly be made between our budget and what has just happened.
Second, this rating relates to only 2 per cent of our debt, namely foreign currency. As for the budget, it is very unequivocal. Our goal is to bring the deficit down to 3 per cent of the gross domestic product within three years. We will achieve our goal and ultimately eliminate the deficit. That is our goal and we will achieve it.