Mr. Speaker, I cannot let this go by.
I would like to ask the hon. member exactly what he means by going back to deficit spending since we have not left it since the Liberals first came to power in the 1970s. We have had deficit spending every year, including every year since this government was elected in 1993 and even now.
Admittedly the deficit is now smaller. We are going away from the target of no debt at a slower rate, but the debt is still increasing. That cannot be denied.
The Minister of Finance said that the deficit has been brought down to $8.9 billion, which deserves mild applause. However, we are still borrowing. The debt is bigger now than it was when the government took office. It is growing this year. Interest payments are still going up. Thank goodness for low interest rates, otherwise we would be in deep trouble.
How can the member talk about going back when we never left deficit spending?