As I write this article, it is the morning of Thursday, February 3rd and I am in Ottawa. I just came into the office after walking down Wellington Street, where rigs, Honda Civics, Ford F-150s, and RVs are parked, and people of all ages and all backgrounds are advocating for a return to normal life. I could take an alternate route that would allow me to avoid most of the supposed “chaos” but why would I? It is an honour and a joy to walk among and converse with those who have gathered on Parliament Hill from all corners of our country. During my journey, I passed hundreds of signs that say “thank-you truckers”, others that speak of love, and yet others that call for freedom. I received a lot of smiles, many thumbs up, and a few horns were blared. On Tuesday, I talked with a family pulling a wagon with their two little girls and a baby in tow, carrying a sign that said, “Thank you Truckers.” I stopped and talked with them, and they shared that they travelled four hours to be present for the day. They are vaccinated but feel it is unfair to discriminate against those who are not. The mainstream media would like you to believe that this is an anti-vaccination protest made up of a homogenous group of disgruntled white men. Even the Prime Minister continues to frame participants as a “fringe minority” with “unacceptable views.” It is just not true. Throughout the week, I have talked with truckers, nurses, postal workers, teachers, construction workers, and stay-at-home moms. Some participants wear crosses and some wear turbans. Some are in their seventies and others are still in diapers. Some are not vaccinated, and others are vaccinated three times. Images, sound recordings, and video footage of the Freedom Convoy, and the thousands-upon-thousands of Canadians who have come out to support the participants in their week-long journey to the capital, have inspired many. Who would have imagined the largest trucking convoy in history would lead the way in a mass demonstration for freedom in the capital of Canada? There are reports of trucking convoys following suit in countries around the world. Though there have been a few unfortunate incidents carried out by a handful of agitators, they do not reflect the majority of the protesters. I condemn those acts, as have the organizers of the Freedom Convoy. Those individuals must be held individually responsible. Afterall, just because Mr. Trudeau wore blackface, it does not mean all Liberals are racist, does it? Some other things worth noting, which you will not hear from mainstream news, is the amount of respect and decency these protestors have displayed. They walk around at night picking up garbage. They shovel snow to clear the sidewalks. They have people manning the National War Memorial to ensure the monument and area around it is respected. How many other protests can boast the same? In contrast, hundreds marched through the streets of Toronto on Saturday calling for the destruction of Israel and engaging in violent uprisings where “Death to the Jews” was shouted vehemently. Where was the mainstream media? Where was the Prime Minister? The hypocrisy is sickening. Canadians should be outraged—or at least not silent. The vast majority of those taking part in the Convoy for Freedom in Ottawa have positive motives. In a free and democratic country, they are peacefully demonstrating, which is their right to do. When the farmers were protesting in India, Mr. Trudeau instructed Prime Minister Modi to listen to the people who were peacefully protesting and he spoke of the importance of resolving issues through dialogue. He would do well to take his own advice. The people are waiting.
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“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
In his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1981, President Ronald Reagan charted a path forward that realigned the balance of power in the United States.
With this speech, President Reagan drew a line in the sand declaring that action would be taken today, to preserve tomorrow. Where some may have expected a detailed articulation of government taxation schemes and a bloated bureaucracy, he instead shifted the spotlight to its rightful place: the people.
He made a commitment with words, which was followed by actions, to reduce the tax burden on Americans and allow them to reap the benefits of their success, without penalization. He isolated the economic hardships triggered by dramatic inflation that resulted from previous governments choosing to pile deficit upon deficit and live beyond the nation’s means.
President Reagan understood the best way forward was not to increase the size of government or amass more control at the top, but rather to empower the nation’s solution-makers, problem-solvers, and wealth-generators. The solution was in the people.
He knew that positive change should not be left up to an elite few to make decisions and impose them on the general population, as so many on the political left would advocate for. Government for, by, and of the people was the miracle of the United States of America, and he was going to bring that back.
Although his speech was delivered over four decades ago, it rings just as true today in Canada as it did in the United States then.
It is the Canadian men and women—the farmers, the retailers, the healthcare workers, the miners, the restaurant owners, the electricians, the plumbers, the engineers, the emergency responders, the social workers, the teachers, the truck drivers, the house cleaners, and the servers—who make this country what it is, and no politician or political party can ever take that away. It is Canadians who bear the promise of this nations’ future, not the government.
In our liberal democracy, the government is not meant to hold the power. It is the people. Sadly, we have seen a distortion of this foundational principle in recent years as governments have taken more and more opportunity and responsibility away from the people while placating them with niceties, such as government cheques. The end result of this socialist-leaning path is known, and it is not the outcome any of us should be happy to accept.
The pandemic has illuminated the lengths to which governments are willing to go to avoid accountability and accrue control. From the outset, the Trudeau Liberals attempted to get away with unlimited taxing and spending powers for close to three years. They shut down Parliament and replaced it with a special committee, where opposition parties were stripped of their powers to hold the government accountable, all the while billions of dollars were flying out the door.
It is undeniable that the larger government becomes and the more present it is in our daily lives, the more problems arise. We are worse off.
Along with the government’s attempt to monitor, mediate, and regulate more and more of our lives, it is simultaneously speaking down to Canadians telling them they are helpless, in need of saving, and almost valueless without the hand of government.
This is a lie. It is self-serving politics masquerading as charity, and it is fostering weakness.
It is when the government restrains itself that competition is allowed to thrive and excellence, innovation, and prosperity result. We know that when the economy does well, charitable giving rises, poverty declines, and people report being happier and healthier. It is individual liberty and free markets that permit wages to go up and unemployment to go down, not big governments who tend to tip the scales in favour of elite insiders and special interest groups.
It is when we, as individual Canadians, seize the opportunities in front of us; steward the gifts, talents, and abilities within; and work toward a vibrant tomorrow, that the country we call home will really flourish.
So, my question to you is this: what do you want tomorrow to look like?
What will you dream of? What blueprint will you draft? Who will you partner with to the build future? Is there someone you can mentor to ensure your wisdom is passed on?
One day, I believe we will have a federal government that will truly empower the people of this nation, rather than impose its own will and desires on those who live here. There will be a reordering of power to its proper alignment. In the meantime, we must remember we are not victims, we are victors, and the world is ours to positively impact.
Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day. My go-to menu item is eggs and bacon, or an omelette with a side salad. I love a classic breakfast! I used to be able to eat at a local pub or breakfast spot for as little as $6.00.
That’s not true anymore — and for good reason. The cost of groceries has skyrocketed!
The price of bacon has increased by 20 per cent; the price of eggs by 7.4 per cent; and the price of butter by 5.5 per cent.
This isn’t just bad news for me. It’s bad news for everyone.
But you didn’t need me to tell you that. If you’ve shopped at a local grocery store, eaten at a restaurant, paid a home heating bill, or filled your tank with gas, you already know that life is getting more and more expensive.
So, why is that?
The name of the bad news is inflation and it’s driven by awful government policy.
Due to inflation, the cost of living is rising and it’s causing the chasm between the rich and the poor to widen. Prime Minister Trudeau promised to grow “the middle class,” but in reality, his policies are making it more and more difficult for Canadians to make ends meet, let alone make financial gains.
A recent poll found the number one concern for 78 per cent of Canadians is the rising cost of living.
Those who are hurt the most by the government’s decision to spend money it doesn’t have, are Canadians who live paycheque to paycheque.
Food banks are finding it difficult to keep up with the level of need they’re seeing. One of the biggest changes over the last year has been the rise in use by those who are employed and normally able to get by.
The prime minister says he doesn’t think much about monetary policy. It shows.
He handed himself a blank check in spring 2020 and has been printing and spending money ever since.
The level of debt amassed by Mr. Trudeau not only surpasses that of any one prime minister in our nation’s history, but actually exceeds all previous prime ministers combined!
Instead of reining in spending and living within their means, the Liberals have been printing money non-stop to pay their bills.
Mr. Trudeau has handed out exorbitant amounts of money in the name of “emergency income,” but the books show the personal disposable income of Canadians has actually increased during the pandemic. Earned income has dropped significantly, but enormous government handouts have more than covered the loss.
As a result, there is tons of extra money flooding the economy, but the same or fewer number of goods.
The outcome is higher prices because an endless supply of printed money combined with limited goods drives up their price tag. The sad thing is, it’s the wealthy that benefit when prices increase, because it adds to their profit line.
Meanwhile, low-income wage earners must make their dollars stretch further to pay for the increased cost of groceries, clothes, and gas.
All the while the government is bloating in size not only by spending all this extra money, but by raking it back through taxes.
Once government supports are factored in, Canadians are bringing home more money than before the pandemic.
However, because the cost of living is growing astronomically, your money doesn’t stretch as far as your smaller paycheque once did.
One dollar used to be worth one dollar. Now, due to Mr. Trudeau’s decision to print money, your dollar is only worth 95 cents.
If the government were to increase taxes by five percent, there would be massive outrage.
But the government isn’t imposing a five per cent tax. It simply comes with a new name: inflation. Hence, the term “inflation tax” is often used to describe what’s happening.
A single mom on a $45,000 salary is finding it more difficult to fill up her pantry and buy clothes for her kids.
Seniors on a fixed income have the burden of making their dollars cover the increasing cost of necessities. Those who live with a disability are having to spend more of their small stipend on groceries and shelter.
It didn’t have to be this way.
As Conservative Finance Critic, Pierre Poilievre, has pointed out, “countries that are not printing money to pay their bills have maintained a low cost of living and an affordable life for their citizens, and those countries that are flooding their economies with cheap cash are driving up the cost of living for their people.”
Reining in fiscal spending would necessitate limited government. This, of course, is a horrible restraint for any political party that only attains or maintains power when people are reliant on government programs and handouts.
The government is choosing to be fiscally irresponsible for the sake of political advantage and it’s putting our economic future in jeopardy.
In this cunning sleight of hand, Mr. Trudeau presents himself as Canadians’ caretaker.
In doing so, he is stealing money from the next generation to stuff the pockets of Canadians today. Meanwhile, our savings are depreciating in value.
So, what’s the solution?
To start, the government needs to stop printing money — now!
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