For the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Association, touring the country is an honour — he only wishes it was for a happier cause.
Aaron Wudrick is travelling from Victoria, B.C., to Halifax, N.S., and is towing with him the National Debt Clock, taking the message to the doors of Canadians that the federal government shouldn’t saddle future generations with massive debt.
The tour launched June 6. Wudrick stopped at the Big Nickel in Sudbury on Friday morning.
“This is something we have done in the past when the governments spend too much money,” he said. “It's to raise awareness. We know debt isn't a sexy issue, and that most Canadians aren't thinking about it every day. We built this clock as an in-your-face visual to get people thinking about government spending.”
The reaction from those who have seen the clock is usually shock when they see how fast the numbers go up, Wudrick said.
The Canadian Taxpayers Association is encouraging Canadians to talk to their members of parliament, and ask them what the plan is to get this under control.
“It's an issue for future generations, because they're the ones who will have to pay this off eventually,” he said. “When we pay interest in this debt, it can't go toward the programs and services we expect. Last year, we spent $26 billion on interest payments alone — that's more than we spend on the entire Canadian Armed Forces. That's money we can't spend on hospitals, schools, roads or anything else.
The National Debt Clock was built in the 1990s during the Jean Chretien years, Wudrick said. It was decommissioned when they balanced the budget.
“It wasn't used used for so long that, in fact, we lost track of where it was,” he said. “When the Harper government went back into debt, we had to go looking for it. We refurbished it, and it's been touring the country ever since.”
