EDITORIAL: A serious case of national amnesia

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The remarkable resurgence of the moribund Liberal party over the course of the federal election leaves observers wondering if voters in this country are suffering from national amnesia.

Have we collectively forgotten the endless stream of scandals, boondoggles and incompetent decisions the government of Justin Trudeau inflicted on us over nine years?

Yes, Trudeau’s gone. New Liberal Leader Mark Carney is being hailed as a miracle worker who will single-handedly sweep aside all the problems this country is facing. He isn’t — and he won’t.

Carney’s cabinet is populated with the same people who brought us bad government.

Setting aside the ethics breaches by Trudeau — the trip to the Aga Khan’s private Caribbean island, the WE charity fiasco and the SNC Lavalin mess — there are other examples of bad government.

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There was the ArriveCAN scandal, which in 2020 saw almost $60 million spent on a sole-sourced contract for an app that’s now not used and which a private developer said could have been developed over a weekend for a fraction of the price.

This is the same government that massively increased immigration while failing to build housing. In 2023, it allowed almost half a million immigrants to arrive in this country with no plan to house them. Then it expressed surprise when newcomers were forced to sleep on the streets or in church basements.

This is the government where out-of-control spending has massively increased the size and cost of the federal bureaucracy. The size of the public service has ballooned by 42% since Trudeau’s 2015 election.

A report by Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux pointed out that personnel spending within the federal government reached a record high of $67.4 billion in 2022-23.

Meanwhile, government spending on outside consultants skyrocketed to more than $15 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year. And let’s not forget the jolly green slush fund. Sustainable Development Technology Canada violated its conflict of interest policies 90 times, according to Auditor General Karen Hogan, and awarded $59 million to 10 projects that were not eligible and frequently overstated the environmental benefits of its projects.

Meanwhile, we shamefully nickel-and-dimed our armed forces and our defence spending is an international embarrassment.

The leader may be different. His cabinet isn’t. Let’s not rinse and repeat.