According to the latest figures released, the total federal debt of Canada is expected to rise to $600-billion as of this Sunday.

The ruling Harper government has stopped the practice of reducing the level of debt and the country has taken over an additional $142.4-billion during the previous four years. Groups are calling the government to take steps to reduce the level of federal debt as the cost to fund interest rates could rise significantly.

Canadian Taxpayers Federation's Gregory Thomas observed that the federal debt is more than the combined value of budgets for unemployment insurance, maternity and parental benefits, child tax credit and the universal child tax benefit. He said that the interest on debt, which has to be paid by the government, alone could be enough to fund some social programmes in the country.

Thomas of the watchdog also said that the government has not delivered on its promise of reducing the debt and has instead taken the country a decade backwards in its efforts to reduce its federal debt. He also said that the government stimulus spending during the 2008 recession was not required.

"How many programs has this government cut since taking office seven years ago?" he asked "Canada's national debt is now rising at a rate of $863.26 a second, $74.6-million a day."

The taxpayer watchdog is advising the government to halt deficit spending, balance the budgets and begin paying down the debt.