With more Saudi Arabian oil coming into Canada than ever before, the question needs to be asked.聽
奥丑测?听
As we noted in a previous editorial, Canada鈥檚 inability to provide basic materials for the domestic market is downright embarrassing.聽
The subsidized and managed Canadian diary industry was not allowed to produce enough butter to satisfy our country鈥檚 consumer needs in the months leading up to Christmas.聽
It鈥檚 been a humiliating week or two on the military front. Political hacks and bureaucrats are unable to tender contracts to build badly needed ships and our air force has been stymied on the procurement front, as well. Just the mention of military helicopters, let alone fighter jets, sends the red tape boys and girls into a tizzy.聽
We now have to admit we can鈥檛 even come close to providing our necessary crude oil needs or have the appropriate refining expertise to get that job done either. Domestic oil producers are not being allowed to feed the Canadian market.聽
Canada鈥檚 inability to do some interprovincial dealmaking and project development is a curse on all the provincial houses.聽
The Energy East pipeline approval has been stalled numerous times while the western line to northern B.C. has been halted by the new Prime Minister. He now promises not just two years of deficits with an accumulated debt of $20 billion, before returning to surplus budgets, but four or more years now, and the sky is the limit as far as the deficits and debt are concerned, because there is some stimulus spending that needs to be done.
翱丑?听
Mounting deficits with no accountability or transparency?聽
Those with long memories will be spouting phrases such as 鈥渟hades of daddy鈥� or 鈥渓ike father, like son.鈥澛�
The lineups with the hands outstretched have already begun with the first being Bombardier, a company that is no stranger to federal handouts. It is our own, made in Canada, too-big-to-fail, albatross of a company.聽
Lobby groups have found a brand new life with the emerging Liberal government and its rookie cabinet ministers and MPs who are being taught how this carry-out game is played by a few seasoned professionals in the lavish political give-away plan.
Now, that there is no Chretien or Martin to put a whoa on the spending spree, the new regime under Justin Trudeau appears to be giddy in anticipation of the spending spree they see ahead, now that they have removed the barriers of common economic sense. There has been some positive moves made in the early going by the new government such as the unfettering of the civil servants who actually need to communicate with Canadians, including the scientists and researchers who are being allowed to talk once more.聽
Opening up discussions and negotiations with First Nations again is a positive step as well and there has been an opening of communications between the feds and the provinces, even if there isn鈥檛 any actual economic interplay allowed.聽
A return of the long form census has to be a positive thing, and it鈥檚 not a minor issue either, there were serious implications when the long form paperwork was inexplicably removed by the Harper government. And, of course, gaining some gender equality in the House of Commons, while ignoring the Senate, has to be considered a pretty astute move by the newbies on the central block on Parliament Hill.聽
It鈥檚 not all bad news, but heading into the second hundred days of a new government mandate, the negatives still far outweigh the positives.聽
