There are a couple of things, not particularly related, that have caught my eye recently.
First, Canadians received an early Christmas present last week, assuming that in this woke society, we are still allowed to call it Christmas.
Offering a two-month suspension of the HST on a number of key items was a brilliant political move on the part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his struggling Liberal government. It will undoubtedly be helpful to a number of people in Canada and a temporary boon to many small businesses.
Despite the fact that it was not all his to give.
The HST is a harmonized sales tax that combines that particular revenue source for both federal and provincial governments. Without agreement from the provinces and territories, Trudeau simply gave away tax revenue that would normally fall to them. A couple of provinces are protesting this, and there is a real question of whether the federal government can legally give away revenue that belongs to provincial jurisdictions.
However, it is somewhat of a moot point because those who protest too loudly over Mr. Trudeau’s perceived benevolence may well be seen as the Grinch who stole Christmas.
The Trudeau Government will get full credit for the HST holiday, and there is not much the provinces can do about it. Whether or not this will give the federal Liberals a badly needed bump in the polls remains to be seen.
There can be no question, however, that this is what it’s all about: a bold political move prior to an election to gain support and, consequently, votes. Doubling down on this, the Trudeau Government is also promising a $250.00 bonus to millions of Canadians this Spring, closer to an election, just to make sure folks don’t forget how generous they are.
This government largesse is not limited to the Trudeau Liberals. Also contemplating an election within the foreseeable future is Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative government in Ontario. He is promising $200.00 to every Ontario citizen over the age of 18 to be delivered early in the New Year.
I must say that when this was announced by the Ford Government a couple of weeks ago, there was no shortage of blowback and cries of buying votes by those on the left of the political spectrum, including Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie. Now that the Trudeau Liberals have gone one better, with both an HST holiday and a cheque for $250.00 for every working Canadian earning less than $150,000 a year, the silence from those same folks, including some mainstream media, is deafening. I guess it depends on who is doling out the dough.
In my view, there is an argument to be made for the government giving back money to the people who gave it to them in the first place. That, however, is contingent on them not needing the revenue for things the government is actually supposed to do. It is also a signal that they have been collecting more taxes than they need to.
There are a number of serious issues for which government at one level or another has a serious mandate to provide adequate funding. To name only two, these include topping up defense spending to meet our NATO commitment at a time of significant unrest in the world, and an acute decline in health care services in Canada, including Ontario, with an alarming shortage of physicians.
Of course, many will welcome financial “gifts” from governments to Canadians. The cost of these may be a drop in the bucket compared to other priorities. However, I believe most Canadians, even those who can really use these funds, will see these payments for what they are: A timely government bribe. There are two elections coming, and these are goodies designed to make us feel better about voting for the incumbents.
The second issue that caught my eye recently involves the arrest warrant issued by the International Court of Justice (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, charging him with war crimes. To be clear, I recognize how controversial this is, and I am not commenting here on whether this decision is right or wrong.
I am, however, concerned about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reaction to this decision. Since the election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States, the Trudeau Government has been adamant that they have plans in place for this and believe they can have a positive working relationship with the Trump Administration in the United States.
Trump’s Administration is totally committed to Israel, come hell or high water. The Trudeau government’s position is much more wishy-washy.
In the last day or so, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declared that if Benjamin Netanyahu were to step foot in Canada, he would be arrested. That prompted veteran and influential United States Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to respond by saying the United States would place sanctions on Canada and crush our economy.
Perhaps not a good start to establishing a workable relationship with the reality of a Trump Administration in the United States. All politicians, particularly Justin Trudeau, are experts at ducking hard questions. This might have been a good time for the Prime Minister to do just that.
Sometimes, it’s best to just keep your mouth shut.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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