March 18, 1902 (9th Parliament, 2nd Session)

About that. The amount which I anticipate we shall have to add to the debt of the Dominion for the current year will be close upon $6,000,000. This will be, as I have stated, the largest addition to the public debt under the present administration, and will be almost in line with, though a shade above, the addition made to the public debt in the last year of the late government, when the addition was $5,422,000. You see it has taken us five years to catch up to them in that one matter. Rut even with this large increase to the public debt for the current year, we shall still be able to present a very gratifying statement, as to the average annual increase to the public debt-and hon. gentlemen opposite are much fonder of averages than we are.