Martin's last surplus was about $13 billion and the Liberals had paid off $100 billion in federal debt. Harper ran slim surpluses, achieved by selling off taxpayer assets at bargain prices, before the economic crisis and recession. 

The Liberals and NDP did demand stimulus, as they should, after the crash. Harper had the choice to agree or refuse and go to the electorate, a dicey proposition. Harper budgeted $44 billion in stimulus over two years (ultimately it was not all spent) but ran about $100 billion in deficits over those two years. He had already cut GST by 2% and refused to stop his corporate tax cuts even though they were ineffectual as corporations sat on cash and paid big exec bonuses rather than hiring or investing in soft markets, so his deficits were structural and inevitable. Also, in the early years of Harper's government, he was increasing expenditures at 7% per year.

Harper's last fiscal ended up in deficit.