Mr. Speaker, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Prime Minister wrote a mandate letter to the Minister of Finance. He said, “I expect Canadians to hold us accountable for delivering these commitments, and I expect all ministers to do their part”.
The number one priority for the Minister of Finance was to make sure that Canada's finances are sound by respecting a balanced budget in 2019-20. Troubling news from the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report indicates that we could be looking at another $11 billion added to the deficit next year, which would be, if true, almost $30 billion.
My question for the Prime Minister is this. Does he still believe budgets will balance?