What an odd prime minister Canada has. Justin Trudeau has pledged $16 million for Africans to learn and preserve French, but he opposes a boost in Old Age Security benefits for Canadians who have spent a lifetime working and paying taxes.It makes no sense. Every time Justin Trudeau leaves the country, he throws our money around like bath water.There’s another $1.6 million to support African scientific research in French, as well as expanding content on a French-language streaming platform, according to The Canadian Press.To be fair, the Prime Minister’s Office puts the figure at more than $11 million in core support, along with the $1.6 million for bolstering French on social media, among other efforts.The Bloc Quebecois has demanded a 10 per cent boost in OAS benefits in return for keeping the stumbling Liberal government alive. All the major parties in Parliament supported the motion last week, except most of the Liberals.“So they have until a few days from now to go on with the royal recommendation, and if they do not, we will start as rapidly as next week to speak with other opposition (parties) to go into an election,” said Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet after the disappointing vote.Some have suggested the OAC increase for those 65 to 70 should be targeted to those on low incomes, which is a fair observation. Remember, though, that OAS benefits are taxable, so if a wealthy senior receives more money each month, they will inevitably return some of the cash to the treasury.A similar boost has already been awarded to the oldest of Canadian seniors.Trudeau makes no sense. At the Francophonie summit in Paris, he promised money to support the maintenance of the French language in Africa. Really, that’s a priority for Canadians, over better support for Canada’s seniors?The fact is, English is the international language. Every person in Ghana or Egypt, for instance, learns English in school as part of the required education. Every government, but Canada’s, knows that a person can’t be successful today without a strong command of English.Every entrepreneur understands they can’t succeed without a strong grasp of English.In Egypt, there are large-company call centres providing consumer assistance in fluent English to North Americans, while being paid about $300 a month.English is the most spoken language in the world, followed by Mandarin Chinese, Hindo, Spanish, and yes, French. And yet Trudeau thinks it’s a valid use of Canadian tax dollars to prop up a declining language in Africa, where citizens’ greatest goals are tofeed themselves, avoid corruption and get ahead in life.There is money in the federal budget for the Bloc’s ask. Trudeau is foolishly striving to provide $10-a-day daycare to wealthy doctors and lawyers, but he rebuffs struggling seniors. He’s prepared to buy birth control for women across the country, but he neglects the financial needs of seniors.Surely, women and their partners should be paying for their own physical fun, not taxpayers, including hard-pressed seniors.Trudeau is also prepared to pay for dental care for children under the age of 18 and seniors age 65 and older, so long as their adjusted family net income is less than $90,000 a year.Canadians don’t mind a pledge of $400 million to Haiti, or continued strong support for Ukraine. It’s what Canadians do. But when older Canadians are left in the shadows, while funds are put towards protecting French in Africa, it’s an insult.Here’s another wastrel spendthrift. It was rich seeing Mary Simon, Canada’s first indigenous governor general, speak at the Truth and Reconciliation event in Ottawa.“We are seeing more attention being given to learning about Canada’s true history,” she said among her remarks to many of those in the audience who attended Indian Residential Schools.Like Trudeau, Simon is a hypocrite who does little to better the lives of her people.Her transportation costs during her first full year in office amounted to nearly $3 million. The cost included a two-week Mideast excursion, where she and 29 passengers racked up a nearly $100,000 inflight catering bill, including beef wellington, carpaccio — an Italian appetizer of thinly sliced raw meat drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil — and over $500 for lemons and limes.How dare she give advice to those who attended residential schools, and in many cases, have no proper water supply today.Like Trudeau, she should stay home and save Canadian taxpayers their money, to ensure a lift in OAS is affordable.In Trudeau’s parlance, he and Simon are un gaspillage d’argent.David Marsden is a Calgary writer and editor.
