Canadian workers will pay the price of this silly political posturing
Hundreds of people who pull wrenches for a living have a unique point of view on Ottawa’s new luxury tax. Most of us might not be too bothered by a tax on super cars and private jets, and even the rich might not lose much sleep over paying a bit more for a yacht or…
It’s time for Ottawa politicians to take deficits seriously again
There’s finally some good news for taxpayers: Instead of balancing the budget in 2070, the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s numbers now show Canadians can look forward to a balanced budget in only … wait for it … 20 years. Last year the Canadians Taxpayers Federation used PBO data to show the feds wouldn’t balance the budget…
A grassroots performance check on MPs and a way to axe poorly thought out policy
Politicians spent the last two years giving themselves pay raises while the rest of us suffered through pay cuts, tax hikes, inflation and restrictions. The insult to injury? It’s the increasingly well-heeled politicians who are responsible for the pain many everyday Canadians are going through. Folks can’t afford to fill their vehicles, they’re struggling to…
But they should
When it comes to scrapping the Trudeau government’s carbon tax, the hardest decision Conservative leadership hopefuls have to make is whether they would scrap it before or after lunch on their first day if elected prime minister. The bigger question is whether a Conservative government would scrap the impending second carbon tax. All candidates are…
The Bank has one job: to keep inflation around two per cent. It failed
It feels odd to explain this basic principle, but apparently, it’s not obvious to everyone: bonuses and pay raises are for doing a good job. While the Bank of Canada was sowing the seeds of today’s high inflation during the early days of the pandemic, it was also padding its employees’ pockets with bonuses and…
The Trudeau government needs to rein in the years of overspending, set a concrete timeline, and plan to balance the budget
There’s great irony in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland touting the government’s “fiscal restraint” on the same day taxpayers find out that the governor general and her fellow passengers racked up an $80,000 bill on in-flight catering. “I know that my fiscal prudence surprised many,” said Freeland during her keynote address on affordability. “This fiscal restraint was…
Will cost each Albertan between $105 and $331, depending on income, by the end of the year
As Alberta Premier Jason Kenney gets ready to step away from the premier’s office, he should go out the way he came in: sticking up for taxpayers. To do that, Kenney needs to wash away the unsightly blemish on his tax-fighting record: bracket creep. Kenney started his career roughly three decades ago as the Canadian…
Hardworking Canadians are going to have to drag this government kicking and screaming to get any relief at the pumps
By Franco Terrazzano and Kris Sims The Trudeau Liberals must be patting themselves on the back every time they pass a gas station; after all, these unaffordable pump prices are precisely what they want. Inflation hasn’t been this high since the Pierre Elliot Trudeau government back in the early 80s. Canadians are struggling to afford…
We’re being bribed with our great-grandchildren’s money
Fifty-six thousand dollars. That’s the average amount each Canadian will owe in provincial and federal government debt by the end of the year. Much of this debt will likely be shovelled onto the backs of Canadians’ kids and grandkids. As columnist Chris Nelson warns, “we are no longer being bribed with our own money. We’re…
The Liberals should stop acting like they're considering taxing the sale of your home
By Franco Terrazzano and Kris Sims Politicians think we should trust them just because they pinky promise not to impose a home equity tax, but Canadians pay members of Parliament to do more than talk a good game. MPs need to prove they won’t bring in a home equity tax by scrapping the requirement to…
Canada is more than $1 trillion in debt. Maybe it’s time to stop wasting taxpayers’ money
By Franco Terrazzano and Kris Sims How do you scare a polar bear? You don’t. They are apex predators and could eat you whenever they want. But that didn’t stop the government of Manitoba from spending $150,000 replacing diesel tundra buggies with whisper-quiet electric vehicles so tourists wouldn’t frighten the bears away. Too bad they…
It's time our politicians did what's right and cut taxes to help Canadians afford their daily needs
As far as Canadian politicians are concerned, the soaring cost of living is like winter slush, summer mosquitos and other unfortunate forces of nature. They would love to help, but what can they do? Here’s an idea: our politicians just need to follow the lead of other countries and cut the stack of hidden taxes…
Liberal claims of “making life more affordable” since 2015 is hogwash
By Franco Terrazzano and Kris Sims There was a clash between reality and the federal Liberal Twitter account last week. The self-congratulatory tweet claimed Liberals have been “making life more affordable” since 2015. When Canadians look at gas prices, grocery store receipts and mortgage payments, that claim might raise eyebrows. Does life feel more affordable…
Let them eat cake
Politicians and government decision makers are financially divorced from the Canadians they’re supposed to represent. And it shows. From higher taxes to revolving lockdowns, government decisions during the pandemic have been full of pain. But that pain hasn’t been felt by those pulling the levers. Quite the opposite. While millions of their constituents struggled, members…
Under Trudeau, the federal government isn’t expected to balance the books until 2070
Balanced budgets mean less government debt for Canadian kids and grandkids to pay back, less money wasted on interest charges and fewer tax hikes. At best, the last Conservative Party leader paid lip service to balancing the budget. The next Conservative leader needs to make balancing the budget and bringing Canada back to financial sanity…