Canada is, more and more, riding on a knife-edge. I hate to be apocalyptic or catastrophize things unnecessarily — especially in the current political environment where each side can be massively overdramatic. I’m prone to be so too. But this is not that. This is more objective.
Sometimes sounding a great alarm is warranted. Fire in a movie theatre, a pending tornado, Canada becoming poorer and harder to live in, smaller in stature and wealth, our incomes lowering…
Things could go very wrong for Canada, and soon. Or if we do an rather certain but careful and measured turn, we night get away relatively unscathed and start correcting. But even that correcting will take a long time. So things are not great. It’s hard to bet on Canada at this point. And if you’re over, say, 50, and don’t have “forever” for things to improve, that doesn’t inspire good vibes, as the Kamala Kids are wont to say — vacuous nitwits that they are.
Economically, some important factors are in freefall. Our GDP per person is comparatively low (see chart below) and not increasing compared to peer nations — meaning we’re getting poorer. Our productivity is in crisis, which bodes horribly for our future — short, medium, and long term. Investment from both domestic and foreign investors is also in crisis — a related phenomenon. Unemployment is bad especially for young people and is worse than what is being stated according to several analyses. Taxes are high — so high that even progressives haven’t talked much about raising them these days (except on “the rich,” which is now down to 46 people in Canada). The hated carbon taxes keep getting higher. Rules and regulations keep piling up. Our free speech is under threat by “liberals” and progressives generally. Our national debt has doubled since Trudeau was elected. Business bankruptcies are exploding (see below). Canada’s government — its power and size has grown and continues to grow at an exponential rate.
Canada’s stature and global gravitas has waned dramatically.
Socially, there are massive and growing divisions in every sector. So much for “uniting” the country. Sexual, racial, class-wise, and certainly politically — all are divided, some as never before. “Hate” has never been more in evidence across the country in all kinds of ways, some never seen before. Canadians are reproducing at historic low rates, now at levels (1.4 per woman) well below what is required to sustain our population, which is far more serious the more you think about looking after our aging population. And why is that? Many cite lack of hope about our future, and others cite the cost to raise a family is now too great, even with both parents now working full-time. It’s literally an existential problem if ever there was one.
Immigration is — even according to Liberals, who are solely responsible and are very late in acknowledging it — out of control. That is causing a whole host of extremely serious problems, from housing to jobs to crime to social unrest and more, some related to those things I’ve already discussed.
Our national defenses are — not to put too fine a point on it — a thing of the past. I dare say we cannot defend Canada. For too long we relied on Americans to defend Canada, and that was embarrassing. But over the past eight or ten years the numbers of military personnel has dwindled (such things as catering to the “trans” ideology cult and insisting on putting tampons in military men’s bathrooms, as the progressives in Canada actually did, probably doesn’t help); and the equipment provided for them has, as they say, “rusted out.” It’s never been so bad. We’re literally relying on luck and the good graces of foreigners to save us in the event of an attack or national catastrophe.
Where, we should probably ask, is Canada doing magnificently? Where is Canada even doing well? Progressives will point to “universal” child care. But serious people know the progressives’ takeover of the childcare market from private operators has been a national calamity. So, far from “magnificent,” it’s another failure. “Safe supply” drugs to “save” drug addicts used to be a boast, but now it’s been proven objectively to be another crisis — one which is literally killing people. Speaking of killing: how about MAID? Literally killing people, and inappropriately being offered to people including veterans, the mentally ill, and hospital patients. It’s a disaster, ethically, and in every other way. How about their defense of or even advocacy of “trans” ideology, which is mutilating, poisoning, and robbing our nation’s children of normal lives? Yeah I can’t wait for the multiple class-actions to start on that evil bit of cult ideology. They’ll mention “free” prescription drugs — but fail to mention the first drug they offer for “free” is birth control — as if that’s life saving (it’s literally the opposite), or as if we can afford it (we can’t), or as if most working people don’t already have great drug plans. Dental care: same. It’s another ideological bit of stupidity. Speaking of political ideology, progressives used to point to our healthcare system proudly, but now, we have to put air quotes around “healthcare system” as it has failed by every measure, and is one of the worst in the world by several measures, as well as being one of the most expensive (it always was, it’s just become more obvious lately).
Our very democracy is even at threat, thanks to the current government’s very determined “willful blindness” (pace Sam Cooper). We know this stuff not from the government, who did a disservice by trying hard to hide it from us (still hiding), but instead from some independent journalists who have done a great service to our country by exposing literal treason. They alarmed the country by telling us the horrid news about Chinese Communist Party infiltration of, and conspiring with, certain mostly Liberal politicians and with the Liberal Party itself. All buried by the Liberals.
And don’t even get me restarted on their draconian, authoritarian response to so-called “Covid-19,” including insane mandates and freedom-wrecking policy decisions, nor their engaging in Soviet-style bank account freezes and other unconstitutional action during the trucker protest, and bills in Parliament literally designed to jail people — for life — for wrongthink. I’ll never forget the woke bullshittery either, propagated by the progressives, which has made Canada an unserious, sad, and sometimes downright stupid place.
So like many others, I’m going to adjust my steering ahead of this coming drop off the cliff. It will take beyond my remaining years on this planet to fix it all, but it is the right thing to do. And certainly if you’re younger, it’s vital to do it now.
There are too many charts or graphs to post. Here a three:
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
Contact Mr. Johannesen about this article using this form. Please refer to article's title.
FOLLOW @JoelJohannesen ON X!
- Keep going, or veer right - Monday August 26, 2024 at 4:30 pm
- Hey Joel, what is “progressive?” - Friday August 2, 2024 at 11:32 am
- Progressives will control every single aspect of your life. Example 4,392: Montreal Bagels. - Thursday July 11, 2024 at 2:14 pm
Thanks for participating! Remember to share our posts on X and Facebook using the icons atop the article!