This author is getting fed up with Canadian governments blaming every problem Canada faces on U.S. President Trump. The reality is many of our own governments have implemented policies that have damaged our economy and our society. As long as they can get away with shirking responsibility things won’t change. News on our economy continues to be negative, crime is still sky-high and our fiscal position is horrendous. National unity is also a mess with Quebeckers seemingly about to elect a separatist provincial government yet again and Alberta and Saskatchewan contemplating more autonomy from Ottawa, or even outright separation from Canada.
We have seen a couple of improvements that were meaningful from the Carney Liberal government – notably measures the Conservatives have been recommending for years. These include the pausing of the consumer carbon tax and a reversal on the Digital Services Tax (DST). But these positive steps seem to be tokens that were tossed out as an electoral sop in the case of the carbon tax and a gift to Trump with the DST. Despite Carney’s claim that he was the guy to negotiate with Trump, Canada received absolutely nothing in return for the elimination of the DST. The major things that need doing in Canada remain undone, and the first days of this Parliamentary session have not been promising.
We have still not seen a budget from the Liberals and though they had originally promised this for October, it has now been bumped into November. Even without knowing the exact magnitude of the problem, government spending remains sky-high, which will merely dig a bigger debt hole and further boost inflation. Carney did reverse himself, elbows way down, on the retaliatory tariff issue but the damage had already been done to Canadian businesses and workers, as well as Canada-U.S. relations. Virtually all of the Trudeau-era bad legislation crushing our natural resource sector remains in place, and the ongoing industrial carbon tax and proposed “border adjustment mechanism” – basically a tax on imports that depends on the country of origin’s carbon policies – will just feed inflation more, worsen the cost of living and hurt our competitiveness.
We’ve seen zero progress on the laws that are most damaging to Canada. Instead, Carney has “recognized Palestine,” a hollow act that ignores Canada’s priorities. The so-called conditions on which Carney initially stated this recognition would depend have of course not been met and very probably will never be met. What do we do then? Unrecognize Palestine? That never happens. It seems all Carney cared about was being able to stand with his European brethren at the recent UN meeting and crow about how very European he was on this topic. It is also another thumb in the eye to the U.S. administration, which remains loyal to Israel. That should surely improve Canada-U.S. trade relations. Not.
Other things the Liberals have done is vote against a Conservative motion to toughen up sentences for repeat violent offenders. Really Liberals? Is that your response to the serious crime problem endangering innocent Canadians? Immigration continues to run amok in Canada, with the only bright spot being fewer asylum claimants because of Trump’s tightening up the U.S. borders. And oddly, Justice Minister Sean Fraser – who previously botched both of his former Cabinet positions in housing and immigration – has sent a request to the Supreme Court to consider tightening up the occasions on which the notwithstanding clause of our Constitution can be used. Does this government really want to flirt with breaking up the country?
The notwithstanding clause’s inclusion in the Constitution was the only reason a number of provinces signed on to the document back in 1982. Limiting its use would be a giant slap in the face to the provinces, and something that should be done – if done at all – via the proper amending formula and in consultation with the provinces. Carney is trying to do an end run around the Constitution, which can only end badly. Hopefully the Supreme Court will be smart enough to reject this request and insist the proper procedures are followed, or that it is abandoned completely.
Early indications are that Carney fancies himself somewhat of a dictator, with a minority government no less. He also has done little to dissuade anyone that he has moved very far from his “net zero” World Economic Forum policies that have been so destructive to Canada. A few “major projects” were announced by the new bureaucracy set up to do that, but the projects were ones that were either already underway or already given the green light by regulators. Nothing new there. As many have noted, the badly needed oil and/or gas pipeline was nowhere on the list.
Both Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford continue to blame Trump for our problems while most of the blame lies with them for bad policies that have made our economy weak and vulnerable to actions by other countries. Damage to Western Canada canola farmers from China’s tariffs is an example of that. Ford even held a press conference in which he poured out a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey, a Canadian product with plants in Canada, in supposed retaliation for the parent company moving a bottling plant from Ontario to the U.S. He should be asking himself why Ontario is so unwelcoming to business under his government, not stooping to melodrama.
Another notable employer, Invista, announced it was leaving Ontario for Texas recently, with the stated reason being the “market environment.” They might have well said they were fed up with anti-business governments, but that wouldn’t have been politically correct. These companies are just the canaries in the coal mine. Many businesses we never hear about are leaving Ontario and Canada, not because they want to, but just to survive. The loss of manufacturers is especially worrisome, as a healthy manufacturing sector promotes innovation and provides well paid jobs in the economy that other sectors do not.
One bright spot appeared last week with the new Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), Jason Jacques. His predecessor, Yves Giroux, was terrific, and many people were annoyed that the Liberals did not renew his term in the position. However, Jacques appears to be as good if not better. He gave a scathing presentation to the Parliamentary Finance Committee on how abysmal Canada’s fiscal position was, calling our deficit and debt numbers “stupefying.” He is not wrong. It’s unlikely the Liberals knew what they were getting when they approved him to be interim PBO. They had better not renege on making him permanent in the position. Let’s just hope all Canadians, and especially Liberal voters, are listening.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
