Lethbridge Herald: Budget 2023 - Burdensome and Out-of-Touch

Imagine that you have a large wad of hard-earned cash in your right pocket. Then, someone comes up to you, takes the cash out of your pocket, and puts a few spare nickels and dimes back into your left pocket, expecting you to praise them for what they have given you. This is the Liberal government’s budget in a nutshell.

Whether it is putting food on their tables, paying their rent, or fuelling up to drive their kids to school, Canadians are struggling to make ends meet and unfortunately, the government is clueless when it comes to offering solutions.

The Prime Minister has claimed that Canadians are struggling to afford the necessities of life for two reasons: a virus and a dictator (COVID-19 and Putin). He conveniently ignores the impact of his out-of-control spending, astronomical borrowing, and the massive tax hikes he has implemented.

For this budget to be acceptable, it needed to fulfill two simple objectives: no new taxes and less spending.

It did neither.

The Liberal-NDP budget is the government’s failed attempt to fix the problems it created by pouring fuel on the fire.

Canadians had hoped for an economic plan that would create jobs and generate wealth. What the Liberals delivered is nothing more than a spending plan that will continue to chip away at our already-shaky economic standing and drive us further into debt—as a country and as individuals.

The Liberals added more than 40 billion dollars to our national debt, bringing the total to more than 1.1 trillion dollars. This amounts to more than $80,000 per household.

You have likely heard the Liberals brag about their grocery rebate. It is nothing to get excited about! According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2023, a family of four  will spend up to $1,065 more on food this year than last. The government’s rebate will only be $467. A drop in the bucket.

The government cannot replace a healthy economy with government spending, and yet, that seems to be the Prime Minister’s only strategy. This is a budget that patronizes hard-working people, while failing to acknowledge what Canadians are capable of.

A government should look to empower its people with opportunities to advance themselves. Instead, this government looks to shackle and hold them back with debt and a massive slew of red tape.

Imagine what might be possible if the bridles of unnecessary regulatory measures were thrown off and the workers of this country were given the freedom to pursue their passions, take risks, and generate wealth.

We live in a fabulous country with amazing people. We need a government that believes in them!

After eight years under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this budget is just another costly step that will make life more difficult for Canadians. The government is out of touch and Canadians are out of money. I will be voting against this budget.

Lethbridge Herald: The Government Aims to Control What you Watch

If you enjoy watching YouTube videos or prefer on-demand streaming services, like Netflix or Prime, over cable or radio, Bill C-11 will have a big impact on you!

Through this piece of legislation, the government is about to give itself the authority to control what you watch. Instead of giving you more of what you want, YouTube will be instructed to give you more of what the government wants for you.

The government claims this bill is about “supporting Canadian culture” and “leveling the playing field,” but that’s just not true. Let me explain…

Bill C-11 amends the Broadcasting Act by bringing the internet under its provisions. In the early 20th Century, this Act was put in place to regulate TV and radio to ensure Canada’s two official languages were both given airtime and cultural diversity was upheld. This was necessary because the number of TV and radio stations was limited, and these finite resources needed to be shared.

Unlike these two mediums, the internet is boundless. Anyone who wants to have a presence on the internet can have one. The government doesn’t need to regulate which content should be prioritized and which should be demoted. There’s space for all.

Today, in the Internet Age, when nearly everyone has access to smart devices and streaming services, it’s never been easier for Canadian content creators— from all linguistic and cultural backgrounds—to reach a global audience with the content they wish to showcase. The gatekeepers, such as Bell Media, Rogers, the CBC, or Corus Entertainment, have been removed. The internet is infinite, and the opportunities are endless.

But this is all about to change.

The Liberal Government, under Justin Trudeau, is determined to control what Canadians watch and post online.

Bill C-11 will have 2 massive consequences:

1. Censorship of what you see: This piece of legislation will effectively place the government as a content regulator, meaning it will determine what you can see online. This legislation will break your search bar. Instead of directing you to the things you want to view, it will direct you to the things the government wants you to view.

2. Censorship of what you say: Home-grown talent and creative content here in Canada will no longer succeed based on merit. Content will be subject to a set of criteria that bureaucrats in Ottawa will use to determine its level of “Canadian-ness.” This will favour traditional art forms over new creative content. Cultural minority groups will largely be cut out.

In summary, Bill C-11 will not only hinder consumers’ ability to view and listen to what they want, it will also harm digital first creators in their ability to succeed and reach global audiences.

Content creators from across Canada, along with consumer groups have been speaking out about the dangers of this bill. Legal experts have called it a grotesque overreach of government.

When speaking about the bill, Margaret Atwood didn’t mince her words when she called it “creeping totalitarianism.”

Bill C-11 is in its final hours of debate, but its not too late to fight back. Help us kill it!

If you’re worried about the government controlling what you watch, take a moment to reach out to the Minister of Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, and tell him to keep the YOU in YouTube.

It only takes one minute to send a one-line email and it could make a huge difference!

Please email: hon.pablo.rodriguez@pch.gc.ca

Together, let’s #KillBillC11!

Lethbridge Herald: Trudeau is out of Touch and Canadians are out of Money

"Canadians have never had it so good." Right before Christmas, Prime Minister Trudeau made this statement to a crowd of more than 2,000 Liberal lobbyists, political staffers, and consultants. For everyone in that room, he was right. Afterall, he was speaking to the folks benefitting from outlandish contracts handed to them by the Liberal government.

While Canadians are forced to choose between paying their mortgage or putting food on the table, the Liberals continue to dig deep into Canadians' pockets to fill their own.

We live in a country where moms are watering down baby formula and families are forced to skip meals as food prices skyrocket.

Unlike Mr. Trudeau, Canadians don't share the luxury of jetting off to private islands during the harsh winter months. Instead, they are forced to turn down their thermostats to 17℃ because home heating prices have more than doubled. So, when Trudeau says, "Canadians have never had it so good," I doubt he’s talking to anyone other than his insiders.

While Canadians are struggling, the Liberals are spending.

Canadians thought it was bad when they learned the Liberals spent $6,000 on one hotel night in London, but this week we found out it gets worse! In 2022, long after most of the world had stopped their quarantine requirements and after the government lifted its travel restrictions, at one Calgary area hotel, the Liberal government spent almost $7 million on COVID accommodations for 15 people. 15!!! That’s $450,000 per person!

For Liberal insiders securing these types of contracts, Mr. Trudeau is right, life has never been better!

After plunging Canada into debt and contributing to 40-year high inflation, the Liberals continue to shrug their shoulders and say they aren’t responsible. When food prices skyrocket, leaving families hungry, they say they can't do anything about it. If Canadians speak up and push back against the tripling of the carbon tax, they celebrate the toll its taking on Canadians. When asked about the carbon tax, Liberal MP, Andy Fillmore quipped, “there needs to be a bit of pain there. That’s the point.”

Well, I guess the Liberals are achieving their goal.

Pain is being felt across Canada! There is pain in the homes of families who are forced to buy lower-quality food, skip meals, and turn to food banks. There is pain in the homes of the 30,000 families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses after the Liberal's policies flooded our streets with heroin and fentanyl. There is pain in the homes of seniors who are forced to wear winter coats inside as they turn their thermostats so low they put their health at risk. The effects of this affordability crisis have reached devastating levels.

It is time for the Liberals to step aside and make room for new leadership. Leadership that will turn this pain into the hope that Canadians need and deserve.

A Poilievre government will cut back the wasteful spending, cancel the tripling of the carbon tax, and start putting money back in the pockets of Canadians. We will move the money wasted on targeting law-abiding hunters and sports shooters and use that money to reinforce our borders to keep smuggled guns out. We will use that money to provide real treatment and recovery to save our loved ones who are suffering with addiction.

We are blessed with a country that is rich in natural resources. Canada has the third largest oil reserve, but the Liberals insist on Canada remaining reliant on dictators for energy. Canadian resources are the solution.

We are blessed with abundant and diverse agriculture and agri-food production. But the Liberals choose to punish our farmers instead of celebrating them.

It is time to give Canadians back control over their lives and the opportunity to help stabilize our economy, as they have done for decades in the past. Canadians are the solution!

You, the people, are the problem solvers, solution makers, and innovators that will move us forward to a vibrant and promising future. Canada is truly a resilient country, and the hardworking, caring, compassionate, and generous Canadian people bear the promise of this nation's future, not the government.