Red Deer residents will soon have an opportunity to watch the federal debt rise before their eyes.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is on tour with a 135-kg clock that shows the real time increase of the federal debt and the cost per person. The clock will arrive in Red Deer on Wednesday.
“The goal is to try to raise some awareness of exactly what’s going on with our national debt — how much it’s growing, how fast it’s growing and what it is per person,” said Scott Hennig, who helped organize the tour.
When the clock left Mile 0 of the TransCanada Hwy in Victoria on Feb. 22, the debt was just more than $559 billion. Already that amount has climbed to more than $560 billion and the figures are distressing to some.
“These numbers are going to drive me to drink,” exclaimed one Vernon, B.C., resident who saw the clock when it stopped at a local pub last week.
But Hennig said the point of the tour is not to dishearten people. He said he hopes increased awareness of the debt will encourage Canadians to push back against the government and demand change this budget season.
So far, no indoor venues have been confirmed for the Red Deer leg of the tour but Hennig said the clock will be visible as it is driven up and down city streets in a modified horse trailer. People are encouraged to approach the clock to take photos and ask questions.
The tour will wrap up at the end of March in Halifax. This will be the clock’s first tour since 1997.