The balanced budget era is over. Now what? Between the tabling of the federal budget in April and the end of the parliamentary sitting in June, Conservative Erin O’Toole asked dozens of questions in the House of Commons and spoke thousands of words. Not one of those words was “deficit.” Social Sharing No party is going to go into the next election with a promise to eliminate the deficit Posted: Jul 25, 2021 7:00 AM ET | Last Updated: July 25 Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole's plan to balance the budget would take three majority terms in government to complete.(The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)