Mr. Speaker, I am happy to share with the hon. member that his calculation is mistaken. He seems not to realize that the significant closures, for public health reasons, associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have also contributed to the deficit.
The reality is that, going forward, we know we had a choice to have the federal government incur the costs associated with the pandemic or to have those costs fall to households and businesses. We made the decision to step up to be there for households and businesses to ensure they could contribute to the recovery once the pandemic is over.
If the hon. member has suggestions on how we can move forward to ensure a robust recovery, my office is always open.