Image Credit: Contributed by author

“On behalf of 35 million Canadians, we’re back!” enthused Justin Trudeau on the night of his election, between barrages of selfies with everything that twitched.

To punctuate the message, he delivered clouds of urbane clichés to an adoring crowd of Hollywood "climate activists" and fistfuls of cash to a much-criticised "Green Climate Fund," administered by ideologues and vaguely overseen by that great bastion of global profligacy, the United Nations General Assembly. Before he even had time to hire a platoon of nannies or begin the multimillion dollar renovation of the slum at 24 Sussex Drive, he had managed to spend over $3 billion of your tax dollars, and not a penny of it in Canada. At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Trudeau identified "diversity" as the economic engine of Canada and pestered the adults in the room to join him in galloping fiscal immoderation. They eyed his colourful socks with amused indulgence and thereafter ignored him.

As if in response to this display of fiduciary tomfoolery, the International Monetary Fund and even Canada's own banks have downgraded Canada's economic outlook to just this side of life support status (CIBC twice in one month).

In terms of domestic economic policy, Trudeau is in deep water. His tax breaks will only benefit the upper tax brackets ($50-90 K), his new energy taxes will hurt the economy generally and the poor disproportionately and, much to his surprise if to no one else's, his projected deficit will be about triple what he promised before the election. The Liberal princeling began his reign with a massive half billion dollar surplus left by the Conservatives and a wave of economic migrants coming to Canada from the third world. At this rate he'll end it with Canada in penury and a wave of economic migrants going the other way. 

Speaking of economic migrants, Trudeau's "Operation Syrian Refugees" has become so farcical that it's been reduced to press gangs sent to Turkey to round up well-fed "refugees" and ship them to Canada so the princeling can take selfies with them, after which they displace Canadians in hotels and barracks, and round it all out by complaining that they want to go back because there are bedbugs in Canada and there's nothing much to do here anyway (more about that here). In terms of fiscal responsibility, the new Liberals have clearly taken a page from the old Liberals by lowering the shroud of secrecy over infamously corrupt union dealings and hiding the machinations of Indian tribal leaders from their own subjects while proclaiming to the rest of us rubes that a new age of "transparency" is upon the land.  As for Canada's foreign policy, our allies are furious at us and our enemies are openly laughing at us, including ISIS, which celebrated Trudeau's  election and is sending flowers in appreciation of our CF 18 withdrawal. I could go on, but you get the picture.

While the federal Liberals pile all their hopes into the "sunny ways" basket and wait for the budget to balance itself, the country lurches on into a dim looking future. Eight out of ten provinces ran deficits last year, to the point that the ever-lowered debt under the federal Conservatives was surpassed by accumulated provincial debt for the first time in history. 

Image Credit: StatsCan

At twice the debt of California, Ontario under an out-of-control provincial Liberal government has managed to rack up world record level debt and now carries more of it than any other sub-sovereign entity has ever carried in the history of the universe.

Alberta, already staggering under a crippling decline in oil prices, has been administered the coup de grâce by an out-of-control NDP government, and B.C. has been effectively cut off from the oil fields of Alberta by the new federal Liberals, cheered on by an out-of-control American-oil-financed "environmental" lobby. While federal debt is sure to rise far above combined provincial debt before the year is out, it won't be due to newfound provincial restraint, but rather to newfound federal extravagance. 

If 21st century Canadian federal politics is to consist of electoral victory dances atop the wreckage of broken promises under showers of borrowed cash raining down like ticker tape, we're off to a damned good start. On behalf of 35 million Canadians, someone needs to discuss reality with this youngster.

— Scott Anderson is a Vernon City Councillor, freelance writer, and a bunch of other stuff. His academic background is in International Relations, Strategic Studies, Philosophy, and poking progressives with rhetorical sticks until they explode.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016