A failed budget

Pierre Trudeau, who promised us a Just Society, once famously stated that the government has “no place in the bedrooms of the nation.”

Wise advice, so what the hell is Justin Trudeau doing by interfering with the normal process of merit-based employment opportunities?

Based on Tuesday’s budget, which in reality was a political manifesto, the Trudeau Liberals are once again using crass political opportunism to shamelessly discriminate against a segment of the population, mostly young white males.

When you use social engineering based on race, gender and ethnicity to arrive at a desired conclusion, you are disregarding the very definition of a democracy. What good is it to encourage young males to work hard in school and develop the necessary skills to be productive in society if, at the end of their effort, they are basically pushed to the back of the line.

Justin Trudeau should heed another piece of advice: “Let the world unfold as it should.” The avowed purpose of this week’s budget was to look at public expenses through a feminist lens.

Disappointingly, the budget only included mini-increases for foreign aid. In reality, foreign aid will be growing at a slower pace than all other government expenditures despite having been frozen for five years, and will be far from keeping up with the pace of growth of our economy.

When you consider that those who suffer most from lack of education, lack of clean water and lack of proper nutrition are women, and that the current government explicitly stated that “poverty is sexist,” this budget truly misses the mark. Canada’s Indigenous peoples have achieved what Quebec separatists have been trying to achieve since Parti Québécois founder René Lévesque became premier of Quebec in 1976. They are now a sovereign nation within a nation, funded by another nation.