National Post: 'The advantage of this arrangement for the Liberals is that it makes Trudeau practically immune from a no-confidence vote. The NDP gains the ability to take joint credit for the dreary menu of socialistic measures agreed to by the two parties. Though all of them would have passed without this agreement, the effect of it is to ensure that the two parties monopolize power unvexed by any possibility of blundering into an election prematurely — the other three parties are sandbagged for the balance of a full parliamentary term. Most of our political media have adhered to their usual standard of insipidity — almost no presentation of this as the cynical clinging to the furniture of government that it is and a good deal of pseudo-political scientific bunk about the virtues of multi-party government....
'The menu of tired socialist pieties whose adoption has been agreed is: dental care starting with children up to 12 in families with incomes of under $90,000, a start on pharmacare with a determination of ”essential medicines,” “additional ongoing investments” in provincial health-care plans, more affordable housing, an end to federal funding for the fossil fuel industry, redoubling efforts for a net-zero carbon emissions economy by 2050, a clean jobs training centre, 10 days paid sick leave for federally regulated workers, rendering it illegal to call in replacement workers in lockouts in federally regulated unionized businesses, continued funding of searches for Indigenous graves, more funding for First Nations housing, the advancement of policies relating to missing and murdered Indigenous women, changes to taxes on financial institutions that “have made strong profits during the pandemic,” a publicly accessible beneficial ownership registry and assurance that Quebec’s representation in the House of Commons will remain constant. Almost all of this is redundant and much of it is undesirable....
'Almost all of these goals reinforce the slow growth, reduced investment, sluggish public-sector economy that Canada has pursued under this government: take the money from those who have earned it, give it to those who have not in exchange for their votes, and call it “social justice.” Almost everybody agrees with a policy of compassion toward the disadvantaged, but the decline in Canada’s per capita income shows us where these policies are leading.'
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