EDITORIAL: Liberals care about their problems, not ours

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While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals might not believe it, there are more important issues facing Canadians than their endless fretting over their day-to-day survival as the government.

Food Banks Canada reported Monday there were more than two million visits to food banks in March, almost double the number in March 2019 — the year before the pandemic hit — and 6% higher than last year’s record-breaking figure.

One-third of food bank clients were children and nearly 18% of all food bank users were employed.

One of the major causes of soaring food bank use is the high cost of housing, with the Trudeau government finally admitting last week that its high-intake immigration policy has contributed to soaring housing costs.

So, the Liberals finally lowered their future targets last week, having for years accused Canadians of being racists who were making exactly the same argument as they are now.

It’s just one example of why Trudeau and the Liberals are out of gas and out of time.

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada reported that the adjusted unemployment rate in Canada for September, at 5.4%, was 1.3 percentage points higher than in the U.S. at 4.1%.

University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe reported that Canada’s real GDP per capita — a standard measure of economic growth — now sits at $44,400, far behind U.S. GDP per capita at $66,300 (in 2015 dollars).

“Put another way, real GDP per capita in the United States was 43% higher than in Canada in 2023,” Tombe said.

“And in 2024, I estimate this gap will widen to nearly 50% Let that sink in for a moment. The U.S. is on track to produce nearly 50% more per person than Canada will. This stunning divergence is unprecedented in modern history.”

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Other studies have concluded Canada is falling behind real GDP per capita compared to similar industrialized countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Some of these problems pre-date the Trudeau government but all the Liberals are offering Canadians today is a vision of the past.

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilivere is offering a new way forward, including Monday’s announcement that Conservatives will remove the GST from buyers purchasing a new home for under $1 million.