Maybe between them they can force the finance minister to put out numbers that don’t take a forensic accountant to unravel. Each time spending is higher, the deficit larger, and the economy weaker than foretold. Here we are, eight months later, and growth is now forecast to be closer to the worst-case scenario. Indeed, the government is now running an operating deficit — just netting spending on programs against revenues, leaving interest costs out. Not really: though growth is projected to be slower than forecast, it accounts for only a small part of the increased deficit.

Source: National Post November 03, 2016 00:43 UTC