The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Canada's candidates in the federal election are pledging to cut taxes, add new spending and ultimately run deficits for the foreseeable future -- perhaps an inevitable outcome during a trade war with the United States. The Globe's Mark Rendell and Nojoud Al Mallees write, however, that this moment of fiscal laxity reveals a sea change in how policy-makers, and the electorate, are treating public coffers. Liberal leader Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre are not promising to balance the books over a four-year term, often a hallmark of campaigns. Voters appear more concerned about keeping their jobs than the state of the public purse. Both parties are relying on stale numbers, and they are not taking into account the real possibility of a recession. The platforms are based on budget-office numbers that were released before President Donald Trump expanded his trade war to the rest of the world. "We know that when there is a serious downturn, the rules change and we will see bigger deficits, we see bigger debt and I think all leading candidates know that. So they're really putting out a platform for a more benign economic outlook," said Ms. Young.