Enjoy the Decline

You voted for it, after all:

Almost two-thirds of Canadians feel that inflation at the grocery store is getting worse, a new poll suggests, even as food inflation has been steadily cooling.

A new Leger survey found that almost 30 per cent of Canadians believe food inflation has been primarily caused by grocery stores trying to increase profit margins. Another 26 per cent think it’s mostly due to global economic factors, while one in five blame the federal government

Inflation on groceries was 1.4 per cent in April and helped drive overall inflation lower to 2.7 per cent, Statistics Canada said.

However, even low inflation still means prices are going up. And over the past three years, grocery prices have risen 21.4 per cent, according to the agency.

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Food prices are still far higher than they should be, gas prices continue to rise and rent increases are up dramatically year over year, but the Trudeau Liberals are taking a victory lap. ...

The latest Trudeau budget increased program spending by $30 billion over last year, or 7% more year over year. We are also seeing interest payments on the debt rise to $54.1 billion — or put another way, 10.5 cents of every tax dollar sent to Ottawa pays the interest payments on the debt. ...

Shelter overall was up 6.4%, but rent was up 8.2% nationally in April 2024 compared to April 2023 at a time when wages are not rising that much. Rent in Newfoundland and Labrador was up 9.3%, up 10.8% in New Brunswick and up 16.2% in Alberta.

If you drive to work, gas prices were up 6.1% in April compared to a year earlier, meaning that getting to work to pay your rent was also more expensive.

And feeding yourself; well, you can’t say it got any cheaper in April.

One of the reasons that overall inflation was lower is that food purchased at grocery stores only increased by 1.4% April versus April. Here’s the tough part: Statistics Canada noted between April 2021 and April 2024, food inflation alone is up 21.4%.

That means that the $100 of groceries that you put into your cart in April 2021 now costs $121.40. You aren’t getting any extra food, you aren’t getting better nutrition, you are simply paying more.

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As of July 1st, 2023, there were 7,568,308 people aged sixty-five and older.

Interesting:

Two million Canadian seniors have been approved to receive insurance coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan since the program rolled out three weeks ago, according to federal officials.

 

Are all dentists happy about this two million who wait three months to be approved and will still have to pay for this via taxes? 

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In some countries, such people would be fired:

“Taxpayers have zero sympathy for overpaid bureaucrats whining and complaining about where they’re apparently working,” he told the National Post

“Taxpayers are the ones who should be complaining after the feds hired tens of thousands of extra bureaucrats, paid out hundreds of thousands of raises and hundreds of millions in bonuses in recent years and still can’t deliver good services.”

The federal government updated its policy on remote work this month, requiring public servants to spend three days a week in the office by mid-September. Executives will be expected to be on-site for a minimum of four days per week.

But the decision has been met with frustration from both employees and unions, some of whom have filed unfair labour practice complaints and policy grievances against their employer.

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It's actually a ploy to run people out of the country:

Three-quarters of Canadians want doctors exempted from the proposed capital gains tax increase for fear it could aggravate the family doctor shortage, according to a recently released poll.

 Fifty-eight percent of Canadians said they are aware of the proposed capital gains tax announced in the Liberal government’s 2024 budget, and 24 percent of those surveyed initially described it as “a good idea,” Abacus Data found. Another 24 percent said it was an “OK idea,” while 35 percent opposed it.

 When made aware of the impact the tax will have on Canada’s doctors, however, the level of support changed, with only 16 percent saying the tax should be implemented as is. Thirty-three percent want the proposal stopped entirely and 28 percent want exemptions for health-care providers who run community-based clinics.

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Justin inherited his wealth:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is featured in a new video to sell his party’s increased taxation. In a video shared on social media, they attempt to address the surprisingly unpopular tax by implying the rich are promoting broad skepticism via the media. The policymakers proposing this change, on the other hand, are just trying to get the rich “to pay their fair share.” 

“At a time when the rich are only getting richer…,” he explains while a shocking chart shows the wealth of the top 20% of households has hit nearly $12 million. Yeah, nearly $12 million. 

We can all acknowledge that Canada is increasingly a country of haves and “have nots,” but 1 in 5 households having an average net worth of $12 million? That sounds a little off.   ...

After trawling the data, Hector found the culprit—they used the wrong data set, and scale. Seriously, it appears they accidentally used the total value of all assets held by the top fifth of households by wealth, and forgot to multiply it by 1,000,000. That’s not an exaggeration either. 

The top 20% of households by wealth hold a collective $11.11 trillion in assets, about 67% of all wealth. Once again, a serious share of wealth but doesn’t factor issues like age. A “rich” household by this definition is more likely to be a middle class retiree than the wealthy “stock traders” mentioned in the video.

 

By doing a little math, Mr. Hector nearly averted an unnecessary class war instigated by someone who was handed everything his entire life and needs to blame someone for his poor policies. 

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But ... global climate change polar bears!

We had a tax for it and everything!:

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday garbled figures in claiming the carbon tax has cut greenhouse gas emissions by a third. Guilbeault itemized figures totaling about two percent of emissions, not 33 percent: “I will be the first one to recognize it is complex.”

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The carbon tax has no impact on most greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, a Department of Environment manager said yesterday. John Moffet, assistant deputy minister, said the fuel tax likely affected only a third of emissions at best: “It is impossible.”

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It will take a generation to see any climate benefit from cabinet’s proposal to plant two billion trees, the Department of Natural Resources said yesterday. The 2019 election promise announced by then-Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will cost $5.9 billion, by Budget Office estimate: “I can’t give an exact date on when the two billion trees will be planted exactly.”

 

 

But you promised!:

Housing Minister Sean Fraser yesterday said critics must “not interfere” in his plan to build 3.9 million homes. Fraser’s remarks followed an observation from one MP that the construction target would require a new home to be built every 60 seconds: “Have a field day.”

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There is no chance Housing Minister Sean Fraser will reach his target of 3.9 million new housing starts by 2031, builders yesterday told the Commons human resources committee. Even a costly tax holiday for apartment builders will not avert further slowdowns in construction, MPs were told: “We are staring into a pit.”