The damage from the ArriveCan debacle is spreading. Once again, the Trudeau government is paying the price. Michael Harris writes:
Apart from the Canadian public, the obvious loser in the ArriveCan scandal is the Trudeau government.
After all, it takes a special kind of incompetence to turn an $80,000 project into a $60-million boondoggle of epic proportions.
Thanking the Auditor General for writing what could be your political epitaph isn’t fooling anyone. Neither is the promise to accept her recommendations. Or protestations that you are committed to handling taxpayers’ money responsibly. In the light of the AG’s findings, that is all nonsense.
But the Liberals are not the only ones paying a price:
There is a second victim in this hot mess: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Singh placed a high-stakes bet that his supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, which would allow the Liberals to remain in place until 2025, would benefit the NDP in the long run.
In return for keeping the government in power, the Liberals pledged to give special attention to the NDP’s policy priorities. And in the case of a public dental care program—or at least the baby steps towards one—that is what happened.
Pharmacare is another matter. The Liberals have already missed one deadline in doing something about this NDP priority.
The new deadline is now March. But the government has already made clear that whatever it might come up with, it will be far short of a single payer, universal program. That, government ministers have said, is far too expensive.
Parsing that response, the Liberals will try to substitute a “framework” for pharmacare, rather than legislation that would actually create it.
Things are falling apart. Governments defeat themselves.
Image: AZ Quotes
14 comments:
It's funny to me that all the talk is about the incompetence of the liberal leadership. Make no mistake, the lack of love for Trudeau is real. The other talk should be about replacing the NDP leadership for it is truly dismal. Ah, then there is "Lil"PP. Has there ever been a time more warranting of "None of the above"?
The future is not bright, zoombats.
Lets see Owen, the whole covid thing was a bit of a fiasco from start to finish, not all our governments fault but that one certainly was, our future choices are not too great with the Trunph lover with the make over who can certainly SPIN a good tale but as for trust...... That leaves us with but one choice and whilst I am sure that most folks like the idea of increased subsidized heath care the cost....... just out of a different pocket and perhaps spread around a bit more eh!
They're all imperfect choices, Rural. But, then, most choices are.
"After all, it takes a special kind of incompetence to turn an $80,000 project into a $60-million boondoggle of epic proportions."
Anybody who thinks that a National Internet Project, with highly sensitive security implications, can be built in a couple of weeks for 80K is as deluded as the critics are today.
How about some journalistic research Michael Harris instead of half-baked opinion pieces?
With regard to the Liberal fortunes, Owen, my wife has observed, and I think accurately, that Trudeau has put his own interests above those of the country. And for that, we will likely all be paying the price come next election.
I agree, Lorne. Justin will give us Pierre.
That's a fair point, Ben. Somebody's numbers have been cooked.
I agree with Ben that M. Harris is off his game.
I, for one, am not surprised that some of the programs invented in a hurry during an unprecedented global pandemic went sideways. (So punish the crooks and incompetent beurocrats. )
On the whole, Jr's government got it right, as becomes obvious when you compare outcomes in different countries. (A bigger mistake was the bias toward funding business vs people, but that is built-into our deluded political DNA imo.)
So now, if we let CSIS and the media hoodwink us into a dance-date with Lil'PP the 'traitor' who aided and abbeted and was photographed with the ridiculous convoy, we will get our 'just deserts'.
NPov
The prospect of Poilievre is deeply depressing, PoV.
Slightly off-topic svp
This
https://www.alternet.org/alternet-exclusives/jon-stewart-trump/
concurs with my own opinion of the Rick Mercer-type-tropes.
Giving 'we the people' an excuse to avoid rational political thought.
I can't get on the site, PoV. But Stewart regularly does a number on Trump.
Problem here is Stewart does a number on both 'old men'.
NPoV
True, PoV. But, when it comes to Trump, Stewart is devastating.
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