Canada’s Decade of Economic Drama: How Trudeau Governed and the Government Ballooned

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Picture, if you will, a nation caught in the grip of a prolonged malaise — a slow, creeping failure of responsibility, of competence, of order. This is Canada under Justin Trudeau’s decade-long stewardship. And you might say, it’s a profound case study in what happens when well-meaning intentions meet the chaos of reality, but without the rigorous discipline that true leadership demands.

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Let’s start with the economic foundations — the bedrock of any thriving society. Over ten years, Canada’s real GDP per capita grew by a puny 0.5%. That’s not growth; that’s stagnation masquerading as progress. Why? Because business investment declined, exports faltered, and productivity — the very engine of prosperity — slowed to a crawl. It is as if the nation lost its will to innovate and compete. Population growth alone cannot compensate for this lack of productivity; it merely obscures the underlying rot.

Amidst this economic torpor, the government grew unchecked, expanding its spending by nearly 60%. Social programs, health care, green initiatives — all received generous infusions, yet outcomes remained stubbornly unimproved. Healthcare wait times worsened, a clear signal that increasing resources without efficiency and accountability is a futile exercise. The ballooning state became a parasite on productivity rather than its catalyst.

Taxes, naturally, followed the expanding government — personal income tax revenue increased steadily, corporate tax fluctuated unpredictably — a chaotic fiscal dance that reflects the lack of coherent economic vision.

But lest we despair entirely, there were infrastructural efforts of note — GO Transit expanded, Ontario’s nuclear reactors underwent multi-billion-dollar refurbishments, Toronto embarked on ambitious light rail projects, and British Columbia pushed forward its hydroelectric ambitions. The federal government put forth an extensive plan to invest in infrastructure, aiming to modernize and create momentum. Yet these projects often symbolize delayed action and bureaucratic inertia as much as progress.

What lessons can we draw? Growth requires order, responsibility, discipline — not just spending and grand plans. Productivity must be nourished, not neglected. Governments must be lean and efficient, not fat and indifferent. This decade under Trudeau is a stark reminder that without these principles, prosperity is elusive.

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