"Saint Pierre almost did us in with spending. Free Trade saved us."
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Really?
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What saved us was Paul Martin running a surplus and paying down debt while the sun was shining.
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What is harming us now, fiscally speaking, is (a) the reckless GST cut; and (b) the political impossibility of raising taxes to match the level of services expected by the public.
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There is a fascinating OECD report: "Fiscal Balances and Public Indebtedness".   No text or commentary, just annual data in spread sheets going back to 1999.  The numbers speak volumes.
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Among other things, it shows the disastrous effect of the Bush tax cuts on America's public finances, and it shows the enormous harm done by the 2% cut in the GST.
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Huge lessons in the charts:

(i)  there is, at most a very weak, and slightly negative, correlation between tax cuts and subsequent prosperity.

(ii) there is a very strong correlation between subsequent prosperity and running a surplus while maintaining appropriate public services.