Next defence policy review unlikely to alter dated Strong, Secure, Engaged approach: Q&A with Kim Richard Nossal
The next defence policy review is unique in Canadian history, representing the first time a prime minister has conducted a review twice in their tenure, but it’s unlikely to achieve different results than the past, says procurement expert Kim Richard Nossal. “What we’re going to find [is] that we do three things in the world: […]
Hawks fuelled fears to open the defence treasure chest
OTTAWA—On April 7, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the joint Liberal and NDP budget. As was widely expected, the federal government has pledged to significantly increase the defence budget by as much as $8-billion. This sizeable boost will push Canada to the brink of the collective NATO goal of member states spending two per cent […]
Feds’ housing announcement should be called Back to the Future
The federal budget’s $10-billion housing announcement should be nicknamed Back to the Future. Most Canadians may be too young to remember the time more than three decades ago when the federal government was solely responsible for housing. In the post-war period, the national housing drive spawned affordable housing for returning veterans which still stands today. […]
Politics This Morning: Selling Budget 2022 to the business community
Good Monday morning, The House of Commons and the Senate are both off for two weeks, and cabinet ministers are fanning out around the country for funding announcements and photo ops to draw attention to proposals from last week’s budget. Today’s events focus on announcements regarding zero-emissions vehicles and on courting the business community. Prime […]
With budget 2022, Liberals hold the centre
When Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the federal budget in the House on April 7, she wore a Tory-blue dress and blazer, something Conservative leader Candice Bergen remarked upon at a post-budget presser. “Maybe she’s trying to signal that they’re trying to be responsible, and a little more to the centre,” she said, before explaining […]
Ten big takeaways from Budget 2022
1. Everything is going to be fine—A better-than-expected economic recovery gave the government just enough wiggle room to set aside billions in new funding for the economy, housing, defence, dental care, and more while trimming the deficit faster than planned, and keeping Canada’s projected debt burden under control. 2. Everything is not going to be […]
Canada is at a tipping point on productivity
TORONTO—When will our politicians smarten up? There was Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, we are told, telling reporters after her budget speech that “talking about productivity is not something a smart politician does.” It is too boring, she suggested, a rather dismissive attitude about the interest of Canadians in their country’s future. Yet we need a […]
Unexciting federal budget a flimsy smokescreen for climate capitulation
CHELSEA, QUE.—According to the not-so-subtle Liberal communications plan, the few progressive and chewy morsels in last week’s federal budget should overshadow Justin Trudeau’s most brazen betrayal since 2015—far graver than his reversal on proportional representation and other, less consequential, broken promises. That betrayal also happened last week, just a day before what turned out to […]
Housing affordability, Canada’s green transition key budget planks as feds’ fiscal plan addresses ‘uncertain world’
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s second budget sets out $62.6-billion in new spending, with billions earmarked to make the hot housing market fairer, push Canada’s green transition, and bounce the country back from the COVID recession in an uncertain global economy. The 304-page document titled “A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable,” […]
Fed finances rosy for now, but trouble looms for economy
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2022 budget keeps federal finances on a sustainable track, but a senior government official warned reporters on April 7 that Canada’s economy could face trouble in the years to come. Budget 2022 includes $62.6-billion in new spending commitments over six years, as well as $25.3-billion in new revenues and spending cuts […]
