And there is a growing concern that this deficit could harm Canada's productivity growth and standard of living, unless we take steps to correct it. Estimates of the magnitude of this deficit vary considerably.1 But it is generally acknowledged that the gap will not be reduced solely through government financing.
The purchaser of the service, in any given transaction, is not the only one who benefits from it. When a card is used to make a payment, it delivers a service jointly to both the payer and the receiver of the funds.