What would you do with an extra $17,000? How about pay off your portion of the federal debt.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation wheeled the national debt clock into southern Manitoba this week and Federal Director Aaron Wudrick says he thinks most Canadians are shocked by what they see.

As of Monday afternoon, our national debt was more than $625 billion. Our country's debt is rising by nearly $1,000 per second and about $80 million every day. Wudrick says that works out to roughly $17,000 for every man, woman and child in Canada. And that's just the federal debt. According to Wudrick, our provincial debt is an additional $16,000 per person.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a government watchdog concerned with government spending.

"We have this large digital clock on a trailer," explains Wudrick. "And when governments spend too much money we hitch it up to our truck and we drive it across the country."

Wudrick says the debt clock left Victoria two weeks ago and should roll into Halifax four weeks from now. He notes they last toured the clock in 2011 when the Harper Conservatives were running deficits.

"We find ourselves now in 2016, it's a bit of a deja vu," says Wudrick. "We have a new government but sort of the same approach, lots of borrowing and spending."

Wudrick acknowledges that debt is not something people think about when they wake up in the morning but it will have real consequences on future generations.

"When we pay money for interest on debt, it's money we can't put towards other things," notes Wudrick.

He says last year our country spent $26 billion on debt interest alone, which is more than what was put towards the entire Canadian Armed Forces.

"The number one reaction I get from people is shock at the size," says Wudrick. "I think most Canadians know we have some debt, I think they are shocked at the size of it when they see it and just how quickly it's going up."

Wudrick says there are a few things Canadians can do to try and help the cause. He encourages people to talk about it and to ask your Member of Parliament what is being done to try and bring this spending under control.

"I have small children, I don't want to leave them bills when I die, I want to leave them an inheritance, I think we need to take the same approach when it comes to our government," says Wudrick. "You shouldn't be sticking future generations with a bill, we should be looking to leave them with the books in a good spot."