Liberal budget taking Canadian economy back to the future
Watching coverage of the federal budget, I had an image of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau as “Doc” Brown and Marty McFly from Back to the Future firing up the DeLorean to take us back to the deficit tax-and-spend policies of the Liberal governments of the 1990s.
While there is an argument to run deficits to boost the economy in the short term, it is appalling how quickly the Liberals abandoned their commitment to return to balanced budgets by the end of their mandate. I fear they are implementing base budget costs that will leave the country in deficit for years, resulting in a federal debt load that can only be managed by painful service cuts and tax increases somewhere in the future.
We lived through that painful reality 20 years ago. It’s pathetic to see the Liberals taking us back there again.
Trudeau making us broke
Justin Trudeau seems to be not of this world. He enjoys writing cheques and seems to ignore the people who pay the bills — taxpayers.
The Conservatives left a surplus, but with this new group of spend addicts major deficits are forecast not just for the coming year, but for many years to come. There will be no economic growth. Good luck, Canada.
George Pearson, Surrey
More transit money to waste
Federal money for transit projects? What’s that sound I hear? It’s cheering TransLink executives, saying, “Raises for everyone!”
Once the raises and increased expense accounts are taken into account, what’s left can go to improving transit.
Archie Blankers, Pitt Meadows
Drunks will make us fun?
Tourists, we’re told, are staying away from “no fun city” Vancouver? Lets see what the problem is. All we have is theatre, music, dance, casinos, sports arenas, golf courses, skating rinks, tennis courts, first-class restaurants, mountains to climb or ski or snowboard down, plus beautiful parks. That’s not enough?
I guess to impress tourists we need more drunken brawls in the entertainment strip in downtown Vancouver. So let’s start drinking in our parks, our beaches and even at our bus stops. Now, that’s what I call fun.
Genevieve McEwen, Richmond
Housing inquiry needed
In his study, Global China and the making of Vancouver’s residential property market, University of B.C. geographer David Ley cites government efforts to attract wealthy immigrants and investment from Asia as the prime driver of unaffordable housing in the Lower Mainland.
Assuming his findings are accurate, the cost to Vancouver homeowners lies in the billions of dollars; nor should we forget the hardship borne by those forever denied the opportunity to own a home.
Nothing short of an independent inquiry convened by Ottawa will suffice to address a betrayal of the public interest, the magnitude of which beggars the imagination.
Larry Sharp, Vancouver
Good enough for the Queen
If the Queen rides in horse-drawn carriages, why are some Victoria residents trying to have them banned? Tut-tut, Victoria.
Ruth Enns, Vancouver