OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) wrapped up its 2016 National Debt Clock tour in Ottawa today after travelling over 12,000 kilometres across the country to raise awareness about the federal debt and the need for a return to balanced budgets.
“We know that debt can be an invisible issue, which is precisely why we build a giant digital clock to make it much more visible,” said CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick. “We hope that our efforts will encourage Canadians to speak to their MP about the importance of balanced budgets and not passing the buck to future generations.”
Over the course of the six week tour, the federal debt climbed $3,394,760,274 – at a pace of $932 per second.
“The reaction from virtually every Canadian who saw the clock was exactly as we’d hoped: utter shock,” noted Wudrick. “The size and speed of the debt was beyond what most people ever imagined.”
The tour stopped in 100 communities along the route, starting at Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria, B.C. on June 6th, making its way all the way to the Atlantic coast and then back to Ottawa.
“The most common question we got from Canadians while on the tour was whether we were going to take this clock right to Parliament Hill so that our leaders could see the debt they were racking up,” continued Wudrick. “It’s highly doubtful many politicians will be asking for a photo with the clock, but hopefully a few of them see it while peeking out of their office windows.”
Those who were not able to catch the clock on the tour can check out photos and videos from the tour on the CTF’s Facebook page. Canadians can also watch the rapidly growing debt on the on-line version of the debt clock anytime at www.DebtClock.ca.
“We’d like to especially thank those who donated to our debt clock campaign. Without them the tour would not have been possible,” concluded Wudrick.
The large aluminum digital clock which measures 6 feet high and 12 feet long, displays the federal debt growing in real-time as well as the per person calculation. The clock sits in a customized trailer which allows for a rolling display.