Mr. Speaker, the government's plan is to pile on debt, but to obscure that picture with accounting changes.
Now the Parliamentary Budget Officer is warning against making these changes, saying that, if the government obscures its own books, it will, in the PBO's words, “bet your boots...paying more for debt”.
Will the finance minister agree that doubling the size of the deficit not only puts Canada's credit rating at risk but also exposes taxpayers and households to higher borrowing costs and higher interest rates?