We all need a good friend who will call us out when we’re messing up. Joe Biden has that friend. Justin Trudeau does not.
Biden is probably frustrated by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision to slow down the Democrats’ agenda in the U.S. Senate. The Washington Post reported that Manchin “would not support an economic package that contains new spending on climate change or includes new tax increases targeting wealthy Americans or corporations” and described Manchin’s refusal as “a massive setback for party lawmakers.” The New York Times called it a “crushing blow” to Biden’s domestic agenda.
In an evenly split Senate, any politician going against his own side can make a big difference. And this isn’t the first time Manchin has gotten in Biden’s way. But, by stopping Biden from increasing government spending and raising taxes during an economic downturn, Manchin may be the best friend Biden has in Congress.
If Biden wants to appreciate what he has, it might be helpful to look north. Trudeau has no such friend. His fellow Liberals simply nod along or look the other way as their party is increasingly out of touch with the world around them. Nobody dares to burst Trudeau’s bubble.
Take, for example, what the Trudeau Liberals have done to fight the housing affordability crisis.
During a week when Canadians learned that the Bank of Canada is hiking its interest rate to 2.5% (the biggest single increase since 1998) and homeowners experienced heightened levels of stress and anxiety, our Liberal government made a “big” announcement in Peel region that they’re build 113 affordable housing units in one of the fastest growing parts of the country.
Yes, you read that right. Trudeau wants us to applaud his government for building 113 units in Peel. Based on the average size of a Canadian family, 113 affordable housing units might help roughly 327 people. You’d think Trudeau was a city councillor of a small town, not the leader of a G7 country, by operating at such a small scale.
But it only gets more disappointing. Earlier this week, the Trudeau Liberals joined Mayor John Tory for another “big” announcement. This time: 22 affordable homes are being renovated in Scarborough. That’s 22. As in, two homes shy of a couple dozen.
How tone deaf must our leaders be to ask for the public to celebrate these small investments? I’m happy for the families who will benefit, but the housing crisis is a large-scale, generation-defining problem that requires much bigger actions.
RBC has warned that Canada is headed for a recession. Canadians should expect our government to do a lot more in preparation for the tough times ahead. But Trudeau’s cabinet ministers and municipal partners don’t care enough about the Prime Minister to say what needs to be said. There’s not a single Joe Manchin among them.
— Jamil Jivani is president of the Canada Strong & Free Network
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