Xref: utzoo can.general:1040 can.politics:1951
Path: utzoo!telly!ziebmef!ncrcan!hcr!lsuc!attcan!utgpu!watmath!atbowler
From: atbowler@watmath.UUCP
Newsgroups: can.general,can.politics
Subject: Re: Free Trade: Why is there no 'Plan B'?
Keywords: debt, deficit
Message-ID: <22455@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 28 Nov 88 23:51:13 GMT
References: <410@telly.UUCP> <1826@pembina.UUCP> <6761@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <1988Nov22.163030.8480@watcsc.uucp> <4228@hcr.UUCP>
Reply-To: atbowler@watmath.waterloo.edu (Alan T. Bowler [SDG])
Distribution: can
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 22

In article <4228@hcr.UUCP> jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson) writes:
>The above firgures are *way* off. Canada's deficit is ~ 29 *billion*. The
>US's deficit is (and I could be wrong by severeral ten's of billions) 
>~ 150 billion (US).  Hmm...

Actually, according to the guest editorials on the Nightly Business Report
the figure is actually about 250 billion.  The difference is that
between current collected and paid out for social security is
being counted as a "surplus" and subtracted from the rest of
the budget deficit.  The "surplus" is actually supposed to be put
aside and used to pay pensions of the people currently contributing
when they eventually retire.
Apparently, at some time in the next decade the accounting rules
for reporting the US deficit are going to change to separate out
social security.  

Does anyone know how the Canadian government handles the Canada
Pension Plan in relation to the rest of the Federal budget?
In the past I have seen criticisms of the way the CPP funds have
been handled that implied that Canada already reports this
separately (i.e. the 29 billion should be compared to the 250 billion),
but I have no hard evidence.