Mr.Chair, the Minister of Finance may not know what the deficit is, but one great Canadian does know. And he knows that he knows. Could the Minister of Finance be very clear, very fluid and, above all, very transparent with Canadians? What is Canada's deficit?
Mr.Chair, I want to be very clear with Canadians: our economic situation is very difficult. The situation is fluid. We are making investments to ensure that our economy will be strong in the future.
Mr.Chair, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, let me point out that, though he is not very clear, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer was clear yesterday. The deficit is $260billion. That is the real number. Why does the government not have the courage to state it clearly, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer did yesterday?
Mr.Chair, we always want to be clear and transparent. It is very important for the situation to be stable in order to ensure our future. That is our economic approach. We are making investments now so that the situation becomes more stable.