Justin Trudeau came back to parliament with an agenda. But events, Chantal Hebert writes, could alter that agenda:
Part of the Liberal rationale for holding a snap election was the hope of riding out a possible post-pandemic economic storm from the relatively safe harbour of a governing majority.
By all indications, Erin O’Toole and his caucus are willing to bet the house on inflation turning out to be the Achilles heel of Trudeau’s minority government.
They are bringing a case that the Liberals are missing in action on the economic front with the same gusto that characterized their charge — at the same time last year — that Canada was about to be left behind as the rest of the world vaccinated its way out of the pandemic.
Time will tell whether this latest Conservative gamble will bring more dividends than the vaccine offensive. The latter only succeeded in making the Liberals look like they were exceeding expectations.
Inflation is not just a Canadian problem. It's an international problem. Many economists see inflation as temporary. The big question is temporary -- for how long? The Liberals are touting their national childcare program as a cost-cutter:
For now, Trudeau’s $10-a-day child-care policy and its prospective savings for many families is the main staple on the government’s anti-inflation shelf.
It is easy to see the rationale for that.
Six months after its launch, the Liberals have already secured a lot more provincial buy-in from across the political spectrum for their child-care policy than they ever did for pharmacare.
Among the larger provinces, Ontario alone has yet to sign off on the plan.
So much depends on how long the storm will last.
Image: whysoblu.com
