By: Greg Staley
Written On: 2021-08-16
Photo screenshot from CPAC coverage of the interview.
A federal election has been announced and Prime Minister Trudeau has begun the process of promising everything under the sun to Canadians in hopes he receives their vote. The issue is that the actions that Mr. Trudeau has taken during his tenure as Prime Minister have lead to a massive deficit (currently $1.2 trillion) that is making life unaffordable for Canadians today. Now the Prime Minister is hoping that Canadians fear of Covid-19 will be enough to get them to vote for more things that they simply can’t afford.
The Prime Minister began his speech yesterday by telling reporters and those listening that “Its been a big couple of years,” noting that “the last 17 months have been like nothing we’ve ever experienced.” The Prime Minister continued; “And we are all wondering what the next 17 months not to mention the next 17 years will hold.” A bit of an odd statement from the Prime Minister on the doorstep of an election that only decides the next 4 years but I digress.
The Prime Minister, In full campaign mode, told reporters that “from day one” his government has been focused on having the back of Canadians. The Prime Minister then reused his past election slogan; “That’s why we came to Ottawa in the first place. To build a government for the middle class and those working hard to join it.” The Prime Minister cited the Canada Child Tax Benefit, clean drinking water for indigenous people and the carbon tax and CERB as the crowning achievements of his government.
Trudeau on clean drinking water for indigenous people – Trudeau told reporters he had delivered “real change” by “delivering clean drinking water to 1000s of indigenous people in over a 100 communities and by building and refurbishing almost 200 schools so far so that tens of thousands of indigenous kids have a better chance.” Although some progress has been made in providing clean water to indigenous communities the Prime minister has come nowhere near ending the boil water advisories for native communities as he promised. As of August 9th, 2021, there were still 50 long-term drinking water advisories in 31 reserve communities.
Prime Minister Trudeau on the carbon tax- The Prime Minister told reporters that he had made “real change” by “pushing hard so that everywhere in the country there is a price on pollution” – referring to the court decision on the carbon tax that seen Chief Justice Wagner, a judge who may have had a conflict of interest, rule in favour of the carbon taxes constitutionality.
Excerpt – merely being at the event as a speaker already appears to be a potential conflict of interest. Here’s why I say that. On the CISDL website, on the about page under a subsection titled “Integrating environment, human rights and economy through legal scholarship and empowerment” the website says that “CISDL leads global initiatives and projects in collaboration with a range of international partner organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), among others, and is an accredited observer organization to the United Nations General Assembly’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).“
This is the same carbon tax that has caused the prices at the pumps to explode since its implementation. The latest jump of the carbon tax from $40 a ton to $50 a ton resulted in an increase of 8.8 cents per litre of gasoline according to the Canadian Revenue Agency. It is expected that by 2030, the increase in the carbon tax will translate to a 39.6 cents per litre increase in the price of gasoline. The Conservative party would still have a carbon tax for Canadians but say that they would cap it at $50 a ton and put the money into a “Personal Low Carbon Savings Account” where Canadians could draw from to make government-approved purchases like buying a transit pass or electric vehicle or making green home renovations.
Trudeau on the reason for the election and vaccine mandates
According to the Prime Minister, the decisions that the government makes right now will “define the future your kids and grandkids grow up in.” The Prime Minister said that “Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19 and build back better.” Prime Minister Trudeau then contrasted how the pandemic would be handled by different parties by referencing his government’s decision to “make sure that federal public servants and everyone boarding a train or a plane be vaccinated.” A decision that his government made despite the Covid-19 vaccine being under interim approval.
Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters that he knows that “not everyone agrees” and that “not every political party agrees.” He then hinted that the purpose of the election was so that Canadians would be “able to weigh in on that and on so much more.” This phrasing causes me great concern as it seems the Prime Minister thinks that if he’s given a majority his Charter violating actions will be justified. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, just because a majority of people agree that violating rights is acceptable doesn’t make it true. Mr. Trudeau capped his thoughts off on the topic by saying that his party believes that the “government’s most important responsibility is to keep Canadians safe and thriving.”
“It just keeps getting more expensive” – “your right”
The Prime Minister also tried to appeal to elders and those who’ve “worked hard for a good retirement.” “To elders in long-term care homes and people who’ve worked hard for a good retirement I hear you when you say you deserve better. We’re ready to make sure you get it. To parents thinking about how it just keeps getting more expensive to raise a family, to young people worried about how to afford a home – your right, it is tough, indeed it’s unacceptable. So we’re gonna continue investing in housing and we’re gonna keep making life more affordable.”
The irony of these statements from the Prime Minister is that even a basic understanding of economics would tell you that a never-ending cycle of debt will lead to a more and more unaffordable life for Canadians. According to the Financial Post, “A baby born this year owes more than $26,000 in federal government debt. By the time the budget is balanced a half-century from now, newborns will be on the hook for about $67,000.” But that’s not the worst of it – if no effort is made to balance the budget the interest charges will eat away at $3.8 trillion worth of taxpayers’ money by 2070 and “starting in 2043, interest charges will exceed the government’s budget deficits.” This means that instead of using this money to fund things that matter to Canadians like hospitals and infrastructure, the money will instead have to be used to simply service the interest on our debt! This means that these promises from the Prime Minister are simply hollow and unrealistic – more sweet nothings to whisper in the ears of Canadians in hopes that they will vote for him again.
More Concerns from the increasing debt
Other issues that arise from the government increasing the debt are decreased economic growth, higher borrowing costs and declining investment levels. A high government debt level can also lead to the government raising taxes to pay back the debt which in turn impedes economic growth. Another consequence of Trudeau’s ever-increasing debt promises is that the interest charges to service the debt will continue to go up – eating up more and more capital that could be allocated to things that matter to Canadians. The irony of Trudeau’s promises is that it will lead to less money for things like healthcare, police, infrastructure etc. in the near-future. You simply can’t promise something that you don’t have to give and in this case, it means that you can’t promise money for programs when the nation simply doesn’t have the funds.
Trudeau speaks to the kids
Trudeau even made a point to talk about how kids have been affected by his government’s lockdowns and restrictions. “And to kids. you’ve missed birthdays and school days. This pandemic has hit you hard and you stepped up to help your moms and dads, to help your community. And now we need to step up to make sure you’re safe to make sure we’re building you the best possible future. Real solutions to the real problems we face. A better, stronger Canada for everyone – that is your future to choose.”
WW2 comparison from Trudeau
Trudeau also made references to WW2 to contrast how important this moment is in our history. “In this important moment, maybe the most important since 1945 and certainty in most of our lifetimes – who thinks Canadians shouldn’t have a say? After making it through 17 months of nothing like we’ve ever experienced, Canadians deserve to choose what the next 17 months, what the next 17 years and beyond will look like.”
Canadians will have a big choice to make in this election. Trudeau has shown himself to be a great talker and a great promiser but will Canadians realize his promises cannot be afforded?
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