When Trudeau Père was fist elected PM, Canada ran a Primary SURPLUS of 1 % of GDP, had a debt service charge of 1.9% of GDP, for a consolidated deficit of 0.9% of GDP.

When he left office 16 years later, he left a Structural Primary DEFICIT  of 2.7% of GDP, a Debt Service charge of 5.4% of GDP, for a RECORD deficit of 8.1%.

Even though Mulroney turned the Primary DEFICIT back into a structural SURPLUS, and Canada ran a Structural Primary Surplus from '87 to the GFC, it took ten years and a Global boom to bring the Consolidated budget back to surplus.

Once you get off course it becomes very hard to get back on, and the next recession will push us further off course