PM Justin Trudeau's Canada

[Northern Light]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't seen a single problem we discuss here where your preferred solution isn't a federal program (new or expanded) or legislation. It's your natural instinct. There's nothing wrong with that preference.

I advocate for lots of things to be handled at the local or provincial level; as well as not handled at all.

Which is to say, I'm broadly in favour of light-touch regulation and criminal law, in which restraint is the order of the day.

Now, this is our national politics thread, as opposed to Doug Ford's Ontario or Olivia Chow's Toronto, where I discuss issues that belong at those levels.

For examples:

I would prefer the feds exit regional development as a rule, with the probable exception of the arctic as the territories have insufficient resources to carry out such work.

I would prefer the feds exit the business of tree planting other than on federal land

I would prefer the feds exit 'student aid' as this duplicates pre-existing provincial efforts.

I think federal supports for post-secondary should generally be of the funding research and post-grads variety because they are have been in that business so long it would be messy to do otherwise.

I also favour legalizing where practical, and decriminalizing where not, personal possession of drugs (personal use) though not charges related to adverse public effects, likewise sex work.

I would also like to see judicial appointments to lower courts downloaded to the provinces as I'm lost on why Ottawa is appointing purely 'local' judges to provincial courts.

To be sure I do see virtue in certain principles being applied nationally, and I also favour a single common market (a la the EU) to get read of internal trade barriers entirely.

I would generally like to see Ottawa exit the business of grants to municipal government in favour of just transferring a point of the HST and then let cities decide their own priorities.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I want our federal government to operate within its means. The level of federal spending is over 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels, even after the removal of pandemic-fueled stimulus.

I can't believe that with 2024/2025 forecasted revenues of $500 billion (see thumbnail), equal to $12.5k for every Canadian citizen/resident that Ottawa cannot run a credible federal government without going further into debt.

We need to axe programs, staffing and spending so that we do not exceed $500 billion. That's your hard stop. And it wasn't that long ago that federal spending was well below this level. For example, in 2014, Ottawa spent $283 billion, which is equal to $361 billion today. What federal love were we Canadians missing in 2014 that ten years later needed over $200 million in additional spending to address?

 

[Richard White]

I want our federal government to operate within its means. The level of federal spending is over 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels, even after the removal of pandemic-fueled stimulus.

I can't believe that with 2024/2025 forecasted revenues of $500 billion (see thumbnail), equal to $12.5k for every Canadian citizen/resident that Ottawa cannot run a credible federal government without going further into debt.

We need to axe programs, staffing and spending so that we do not exceed $500 billion. That's your hard stop.


View attachment 557621

As I said before.. kill the foreign aid.

We need take care of our own house before taking care of others.

 

[Admiral Beez]

As I said before.. kill the foreign aid. We need take care of our own house before taking care of others.

We can't blame Johnny Foreigner for this mess. In 2023, Canada's foreign-aid assistance budget was $7 billion. A pittance of what's needed to bring federal spending to below revenues.

The whole "take care of our own" logic is a MAGA-like false idea anyway. If Canada cut all foreign-aid, that money wouldn't go to helping Canadians, but would just get gobbled up by general revenue.

 

[Northern Light]

I want our federal government to operate within its means. The level of federal spending is over 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels, even after the removal of pandemic-fueled stimulus.

I can't believe that with 2024/2025 forecasted revenues of $500 billion (see thumbnail), equal to $12.5k for every Canadian citizen/resident that Ottawa cannot run a credible federal government without going further into debt.

We need to axe programs, staffing and spending so that we do not exceed $500 billion. That's your hard stop. And it wasn't that long ago that federal spending was well below this level. For example, in 2014, Ottawa spent $283 billion, which is equal to $361 billion today. What federal love were we Canadians missing in 2014 that ten years later needed over $200 million in additional spending to address?


View attachment 557621

There is certainly room to improve the wisdom of some federal spending and I share your desire to balance the budget.

That said, I think you've honed in on the wrong marker.

If you want to look at expenditures, then you need to look at expenditures per capita, CPI-adjusted. After all, we've been experiencing explosive population growth as a country and one expects that more people will require more services.

One recently published stat looked at the size of the federal civil service over time:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-bureaucracy-public-service-1.7172339

We're clearly up significantly over the last 20 years, as a proportion of the population, but still a fair bit below the peak in 1985.

By my math, if were at the 1986 level we would actually have another ~30,000 civil servants.

****

Looking at this report:

Prime Ministers and Government Spending: 2023 Edition

www.fraserinstitute.org

We see federal per capita spending was set to be $11,498 in 2022-2023

Certainly the number seems high in a historical context when look at this:

In examining the above, I would note that Universal Health Care (core) is mostly phased in by 1972 just as a reference point for a major social cost.

An interesting thing to examine above, which I will do (someone remind me, as I have to do some day-job stuff now)........is to adjust the above to show Non-OAS spending per capita. In light of our recent
discussions here, I want to see what the number looks like.

 

[Admiral Beez]

By my math, if were at the 1986 level we would actually have another ~30,000 civil servants.

Certainly, but like in the private sector, you can achieve sufficient results with fewer people.

 

[kEiThZ]

it wasn't that long ago that federal spending was well below this level. For example, in 2014, Ottawa spent $283 billion, which is equal to $361 billion today. What federal love were we Canadians missing in 2014 that ten years later needed over $200 million in additional spending to address?

Most of that is additional health and social spending. As an example, is the growth of OAS we discussed here earlier.

This government has grown the public service substantially. But simple math will tell you that's not the root of our fiscal problems. Laying off 50 000 public servants will save $5B. That's one eighth of the federal deficit.

Want to cut spending? Gotta start having the tough conversations about what level of social spending we can support, our role in the world (since we will never meet NATO or Climate or aid targets), etc. That second part will get particularly interesting if wins in November. But also, in the long run, he isn't going to be the last to start demanding more.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

 

[evandyk]

Saw/heard some guy in a mini SUV rolling down Front today with some sort of “Fuck Trudeau” rap spilling out of his windows.

 

[lenaitch]

Saw/heard some guy in a mini SUV rolling down Front today with some sort of “Fuck Trudeau” rap spilling out of his windows.

There's still a few around here. They used to get together at Tim's on Sat or Sun morning but now I think they just freelance. The standard fare: pickup truck, often a loud muffler, rear window/bumper stickers, guy in a baseball hat. I saw one just walking downtown with his flag - maybe his truck was in the shop.

Beats working I guess.

 

[Richard White]

Not sure where this belongs but since the single use plastic ban is Federal I am putting it here.

Walmart is starting a limited subscription reusable bag recycling program. Sign-up is required however it is limited.

I am glad to see the issue of what to do with all the reusable bags is being brought up.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/reusable-bags-grocers-walmart-1.7178439

 

[Admiral Beez]

Saw/heard some guy in a mini SUV rolling down Front today with some sort of “Fuck Trudeau” rap spilling out of his windows.

I hope these fools are as tough on PM Poilievre next year. Trudeau's likely to be on the speaking circuit and leading some UN agency or NGO soon thereafter, so the F Trudeau signs will be obsolete.

 

[DSC]

I advocate for lots of things to be handled at the local or provincial level; as well as not handled at all.

Which is to say, I'm broadly in favour of light-touch regulation and criminal law, in which restraint is the order of the day.

Now, this is our national politics thread, as opposed to Doug Ford's Ontario or Olivia Chow's Toronto, where I discuss issues that belong at those levels.

For examples:

I would prefer the feds exit regional development as a rule, with the probable exception of the arctic as the territories have insufficient resources to carry out such work.

I would prefer the feds exit the business of tree planting other than on federal land

I would prefer the feds exit 'student aid' as this duplicates pre-existing provincial efforts.

I think federal supports for post-secondary should generally be of the funding research and post-grads variety because they are have been in that business so long it would be messy to do otherwise.

I also favour legalizing where practical, and decriminalizing where not, personal possession of drugs (personal use) though not charges related to adverse public effects, likewise sex work.

I would also like to see judicial appointments to lower courts downloaded to the provinces as I'm lost on why Ottawa is appointing purely 'local' judges to provincial courts.

To be sure I do see virtue in certain principles being applied nationally, and I also favour a single common market (a la the EU) to get read of internal trade barriers entirely.

I would generally like to see Ottawa exit the business of grants to municipal government in favour of just transferring a point of the HST and then let cities decide their own priorities.

"The federal government appoints judges to the federal courts, the superior courts of the provinces/territories, and the Supreme Court of Canada." .Though I generally agree that most things should be handled by the lowest level of government possible and thus agree that it might be better if Provinces appointed judges to provincial superior costs, we should not forget that some Provinces have politicised judicial appointments (e.g. Mr Ford) and I think the Federal system is maybe less likely to see this happen. Changing thing will be difficult as the appointment of judges is in the constitution - Section VII.

Appointment of Judges

96 The Governor General shall appoint the Judges of the Superior, District, and County Courts in each Province, except those of the Courts of Probate in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Marginal note: Selection of Judges in Ontario, etc.

97 Until the Laws relative to Property and Civil Rights in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and the Procedure of the Courts in those Provinces, are made uniform, the Judges of the Courts of those Provinces appointed by the Governor General shall be selected from the respective Bars of those Provinces.

Marginal note: Selection of Judges in Quebec

98 The Judges of the Courts of Quebec shall be selected from the Bar of that Province.

 

[lenaitch]

Not sure where this belongs but since the single use plastic ban is Federal I am putting it here.

Walmart is starting a limited subscription reusable bag recycling program. Sign-up is required however it is limited.

I am glad to see the issue of what to do with all the reusable bags is being brought up.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/reusable-bags-grocers-walmart-1.7178439

We were taking about this just this morning. I went grocery shopping last week in my truck but forgot to grab the reusable bags out of the wife's car (I only have one or to in the truck). When I was checking out, my only option was to more reusable bags (no paper option). I'll be damned if I was going to buy more bags - we have about 20 now - so I opted to basically hand-bomb most of my groceries loose into the truck then into the house.

 

[jje1000]

No surprise that the pathological altruism shown in these 'programs' was quickly taken advantage of.

It's literally the same case of the removal of visa requirements from Mexico for 'goodwill', which apparently flew into the headwinds of reality.

Good luck trying to get these visitors to leave, especially once they claim 'asylum'. It apparently takes years to get a hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board, and neither the CBSA or IRCC are allowed to screen for validity.

Canada threw open its doors to visitors after the pandemic. Now, many don’t want to leave​

A special visa program to ease the immigration backlog has become an entryway for asylum seekers, documents obtained by the Star show.
April 23, 2024

A special program Canada brought in last year to make it easier for tourists, business travellers and those with relatives in this country to visit has led to some unexpected consequences.

Newly obtained documents show that a striking percentage of people who took advantage of the expedited visitor visas that the program offered have now applied to stay here — as asylum seekers.

Canada threw open its doors to visitors after the pandemic. Now, many don’t want to leave

A special visa program to ease the immigration backlog has become an entryway for asylum seekers, documents obtained by the Star show.

www.thestar.com