While the speech from the throne may have looked a little more ‘distanced’ than any other in Canada’s history, reactions to the speech were not.
Predominantly Conservative elected officials and commentators alike immediately talked about the “cost” of the government’s plans—clearly not understanding the significance of the proposed programs.
The familiarity of political divisiveness is almost comforting in these strange times. However, it must be said that many of the programs outlined by the prime minister and governor general during their speech are necessary investments.
Namely, an increased Canada Recovery Benefit, pharmacare, and a national child-care program all deserve broad support—as the cost of moving forward without them would be higher.
The second wave of COVID-19 is beginning to hit parts of Canada. Canadians need financial help if they expect to weather the storm, and the Canada Recovery Benefit is an excellent start.
With $500 a week being given to Canadians who make less than $38,000 a year—an increase secured by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh—it’s less likely any Canadian will be forced to choose between their health and their work.
Despite what many Conservatives may claim, it is clear this kind of government support is necessary to ensure Canadians are able to support themselves and their families. Opting for the alternative, a government that provides little to no monetary aid would be incredibly destructive to the nation’s most vulnerable populations, as has been observed in the United States.
On pharmacare, the choice is also evident. Canada is currently the only developed country in the world with a universal public healthcare system that does not include prescription drug coverage. Pharmacare is the right move specifically for young people, who are the most likely demographic to struggle to afford pharmaceuticals.
The cost of not moving forward with pharmacare is too high. In its current state, Canada’s refusal to provide pharmaceutical drugs for the entire country results in thousands of different insurance companies competing for access to these drugs. This detracts from our ability to negotiate cheaper drugs. According to Health Canada, this renders brand name and generic drugs particularly expensive when compared to most of the 34 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Subsidized child care is another program long overdue for Canadians. Many feminist activist organizations, as well as the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, repeatedly underlined the importance of affordable child care in order to facilitate women’s participation in the labour force.
An OECD report from 2015 highlighted child-care programs as investments with excellent private and social returns. By not investing in a national child-care program, Canada runs the risk of students developing more slowly than if they had access to the pre-schooling child care accompanies.
Missing out on these opportunities costs Canadians more in the long run with increased spending on extra learning resources in public schools, and prevents many parents from entering the workforce and stimulating the economy.
There are ways to reduce the deficit. The government has signalled its intention to more heavily tax the wealthiest Canadians—particularly the billionaires who accumulated even more wealth during the pandemic. The government could also cut subsidies to the failing oil and gas industry, which could net billions of dollars.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are far from perfect, and the promises made on Sept. 23 are not new by any means. However, the last people we should listen to are the uninspired, small-government Conservatives who have done little else but criticize every move the federal government has made to help Canadians during the pandemic.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
