It's Just Money

It magically appears out of nowhere:

MPs on the Commons agriculture committee last night ridiculed cabinet’s claim the carbon tax is costing farmers as little as 60¢ a day for grain drying. Deputy Agriculture Minister Chris Forbes said it was “probably a question of the average”.

Not if one is drying the grain.

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Pollster Nick Nanos has pointed out that the Liberals are in a sweet spot for an election this fall. They could cynically capitalize on the hundreds of billions of taxpayers’ dollars they have bestowed on individuals and businesses in dire circumstances. For months the prime minister has monopolized the spotlight and, in an assault on parliamentary democracy that would have brought the media to the barricades had he been a Conservative, limited questions and terminated debate. His rationale for an unseemly rush to the polls will be that he needs a mandate to confront the new economic challenges.

If he goes any later than the fall, fear of the pandemic will subside (barring a resurgence) and public focus will turn to our staggering $1-trillion debt and the need it creates to raise taxes or cut spending. Critical eyes will also examine the hastily concocted spending programs, some of which do not bear even superficial scrutiny. And the Conservatives will have a new leader with time to communicate his vision. The Liberal lead in the polls could quickly vanish and the opposition parties force an election at their own, not the government’s, convenience.

Oh, Mr. Oliver, you are being far too optimistic.

Canadians love being taxed, especially with money they don't have. Why else would they have voted for it?

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Because transparency:

The Department of Natural Resources assigned a single employee and $100,000 in special funding to monitor corrupt practices by Canadian energy companies abroad, says an internal audit. The report cited skimpy resources in questioning the credibility of the program enacted by Parliament five years ago: ‘It’s difficult to know the full extent of compliance due to the hidden nature of corruption.’

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A federal agency billed taxpayers nearly $6,000 for a bowling party and Valentine’s Day chocolates, according to accounts. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority described the expenses as necessary for “team building”.