Morneau is clueless about what women want

Some would rather stay home with their kids than work a high-tech job

Sigmund Freud once famously asked: “What do women want?” I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t want to be told what I want by millionaire men in suits.

Gender was mentioned 358 times in the 367-page federal budget document that was released on Feb. 27.

This fiscal focus on the fairer sex is designed to make us females feel forever beholden to Canada’s Panderer-in-Chief, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is constantly reminding us that he’s a feminist, and his Deputy Panderer-in-Chief, Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

In his budget speech, Morneau makes it clear that his goal is to get as many women into the workforce as soon as possible by ramping up funding for more subsidized childcare spaces, use-it-or-lose-it paternity leave, more money for women entrepreneurs, and the list goes on.

“By taking steps to advance equality for women — such as employing more women in technology and boosting women’s participation in the workforce — Canada could add $150 billion to its economy by 2026,” enthused Morneau.

Most of my girlfriends would rather be stuck in a room with Harvey Weinstein for a week than get a job in technology, but apparently, father knows best. Not only should women hurry up and get a job, but he’s even suggesting what field they should work in. Isn’t that kind? Morneau doesn’t want us worrying our pretty little heads about such matters.

He added that Canada’s economy would grow by four per cent if we had a completely equal split of men and women in the workforce. “Four per cent, Mr. Speaker!” emphasized Morneau.

There was no extra money, however, to help women stay home with their children — something that many women crave. There was no suggestion anywhere in the budget that some women might choose to stay home to raise their kids or care for their elderly loved ones. There’s no recognition of the immense value of this kind of unpaid work, which is insulting.

In the government’s desperate attempt to prove to women how feministic it is, it has perhaps unfolded one of the most paternalistic, antichoice budgets in decades.

This drive to get women to find jobs pronto is particularly curious when you look at the wives of the men pushing this agenda. Morneau’s wife, Nancy McCain Morneau, a member of the billionaire family that owns McCain Foods, doesn’t work, nor does it appear she has ever had a career.

And what of Sophie Gregoire Trudeau? Shouldn’t she lead by example, go get a tech job? After all, she has a full-time nanny paid for by Canadian taxpayers.

Oh, wait! Maybe she doesn’t want to work outside the home. Perhaps she wants to spend as much time as possible with her kids and be flexible to take fully funded vacations with her children to the Aga Khan’s private island and to India.

Funny how that works, eh? Even with McCain’s millions and even with Trudeau’s full-time, fully funded nanny, some women still want to stay home with their kids, despite having no barriers to pursuing a career. Well, guess what, Misters Morneau and Trudeau? What’s good for the wealthy goose is good for the middle-class goose, too — not that you’d understand.

Nowhere in the speech does Morneau mention that the deficit for 2018-19 is going to be $18.1 billion, despite promising in 2015 to balance the books by 2019.

According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Canada’s federal debt is growing at a rate $80 million per day: “This level of borrowing is costing Canadians ... $26 billion per year just paying the annual interest on the debt.”

Unlike Morneau and Trudeau, I don’t presume to speak for all women, but I do know what I want when it comes to budgets. I want to see a plan to balance the books for the sake of future generations and I don’t want two out-of-touch millionaires telling me what I want.