"For the most eloquent argument for restraint, go to debtclock.ca – and watch Canada’s debt expand, profligate moment by profligate moment." - Neil Reynolds, Globe and Mail (July 7, 2010)
In 1993, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation commissioned the construction of a giant debt clock – 12 feet long by 8-and-a-half feet high – with changeable faceplates for the federal and each provincial government. The clock displayed the per-second increase in debt along with the share for each Canadian family.
 The clock was toured around the country and made headlines everywhere it went. The clock went into temporary retirement once the federal government balanced the budget in 1997 and began paying down the federal debt.
Now we can reach more Canadians through debtclock.ca than we could by touring around a physical debt clock. But the message hasn’t changed.
In fiscal 2008-09 the debt clock climbed by $183.92 per second, taking our federal debt up to $463,700,000,000. In fiscal 2009-10 the debt clock climbed by $1,705.99 per second, taking our federal debt up to $517,510,000,000. After April 1, 2010, the clock, and our federal debt began growing by $1,560.12 per second. That’s $93,607 per minute, $5.6-million per hour, or $135-million every day! By March 31, 2010, Canada’s federal debt will hit $566,710,000,000.
When you visit debtclock.ca, the Taxpayer.com debt clock uses the time and date you have set for your computer to immediately calculate the current federal debt based on the expected size of the deficit for this fiscal year.Test it out, change the date you set for your computer and watch the debt change. (Note: Will not work for dates prior to April 1, 2010).
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