The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that the federal Liberals unveiled a series of measures aimed at addressing housing affordability in their Nov. 21 fiscal update. The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that Laurentian Bank of Canada economist Sebastien Lavoie said in an analysis released Wednesday that the Liberal government, in an effort to contain the federal deficit -- and avoid fuelling inflation with additional government stimulus -- showed "temporary restraint" on spending. Beyond the current fiscal year, Mr. Lavoie warned there was "no sign of permanent restraint but rather a preference to keep the fiscal easing tap open." Over a six-year period, he said, deficits are forecast to rise by more than the amounts projected in the spring budget, and he described the government's target of containing the deficit below 1 per cent of GDP by 2025-26 as not very ambitious. Still, Mr. Lavoie does not think Ottawa's debt-to-GDP position will deteriorate enough to cost it its favourable credit rating, a fate that has already befallen the U.S. He said, "On the housing front, efforts to boost rental housing supply merit some credit, but the re-equilibrium of demand-supply remains an extremely long walk."