RE:Inflation @Gabriel - there are 2 ways of looking at the problem (1) a debt or spending issue and (2) a revenue or GDP issue.
In my humble opinion, this is both a revenue/GDP issue and a debt/spending issue.
Revenue/GDP issue
Canada's ecconomy was thriving a decade ago. There were foreign trade, foreign investment, and immigration driving demand of all sorts, from housing to consumer goods, which in turn drove infrastructure spending in energy, tech, real estate, etc., creating many jobs along the way.
Fast forward a decade later, foreign investment seem to have come to a halt, theres much less immigration and less spending all around, much less entrepreneurship. The current government prioritized on short-term "feel good" initiatives that didn't make a difference, and instead adopted tax and protectionist policies that are detrimental to investment and trade...detrimental to the future of our nation. We are now an isolated country soley reliant on the big brother in the south, and that relationship is also heading south...
We are very fortunate to have visionaries like Aecon and other engineering firms in Canada that recognize the need to invest in our infrastructure by starting with energy of the future.
Debt/GDP was never a concern until recently when GDP flat-lined and debt became a focal point.
Debt/Spending Issue
Inflation is a byproduct of growth if done properly. The ancedotal evidence would be China, India, and the United States when their economies grew at a rapid pace. So long as growth continue to exceed inflation the problem of debt and inflation is a mute point in my opinion. Unfortunately, growth to Canada's economy for the past 10 years has been based on handouts and fumbled tax breaks (case in point the current GST/HST holiday)...the easiest path to fixing debt/gdp would default to spending cuts as it is much easier to control. In my opinion, the incoming government need to focus on business-development, repairing all the broken trade relationships, and deleverage concentration risks with the south by adopting policies that are beneficial to the nation and stop being a "yes-man". Canada needs to think for itself.
My rant on a day before xmas eve...