By Baxter
It was Budget Day in Canada last Thursday, and ever since, conservative columnists — white males, mostly — have been wringing their hands over Liberal spending. You have to wonder if part of it is because the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, who tabled (Canadian parlance for "presented") the government's numbers to the House is, as you can see from this video, a woman.
Chrystia Freeland bought some new shoes for the occasion, which is apparently a thing for Finance Ministers tabling budgets. And wow, those are some real Joan Crawford pumps!
But all the right-wing bleating about "billions" has gotten us thinking. Since World War II, the Liberals have been in power in Canada more often than not. And they've always spent. What has all that money gotten their citizens? Quite a lot: Canada routinely lands at the top of lists of the most-livable, most-admired countries in the world. With only 37 million people, it's a leading G7 economy and a valued voice on the international stage. It is one of the world's most stable, vibrant democracies, with good public education, economic opportunity and — the biggie — free healthcare.
So why do conservative pundits complain? Is it reflexive? Maybe they just object to Liberal spending that makes life better for Canadians who don't look like them. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.
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