Without a fuller technical explanation vis-a-vis the sound-biten Press Release, I am forced to believe that your 'new' Stewards of the Crown's Assets and Treasury are trying to misrepresent their Fiscal activities, or, at a minimum, not disclose the reasons for their actions.
Why did the public announcement accentuate the Balance Sheet's NetNet Debt (aka Accumulated Deficit, aka Federal Debt -see Annual Financial Report Highlights Pg.7) reduction of ~$14.231Billion, when the Gross Debt (aka Total interest-bearing debt) decreased by ONLY ~$1.821Billion? -see- Annual Financial Report - Table 9, Pg.25
The Annual Report's Table 9 shows "Total financial ASSETS" increasing `$16.299, "Total non-financial ASSETS" increasing by ~$1.19Billion thus allowing a lower (net) amount for "Net debt" (down ~$13.041B) and permitting the (netnet) accounting manoeuver known as the (deliciously dis-informative) "Federal Debt" to be entered as down ~$14.231Billion - and to be announced with great fanfare.
If we are not actually lowering interest-bearing debt by an amount anywhere near what your Stewards say, but are in fact applying most of the "surplus" to increased government Assets , why do you allow them to make such readily-disprovable claims?
Do your temporary-Stewards believe we won't check? or do these Custodians-of-the-day think we are just too stupidly neglectful to care?
With all due respect, Governor General, please ask for a fuller explanation to be made public on the ~$897.49 BIllion in "insurance in force relating to self-sustaining insurance programs operated by three agent enterprise Crown corporations .... . (that)The government expects ... will cover the cost of both current claims and possible future claims " see Annual Financial Report - Notes to the Condensed ... Note#4, Pg.28
