SIEBERT: Nothing about the Carney Liberals looks good — or different

Timothy Siebert is an Edmonton-based engineering technologist So, out with the old and in with the new as a replacement figurehead is installed on the old rotten ship, the HMCS Liberal Party. With such changes afoot it may be worth a closer examination of the track record left by the outgoing prime minister, as well as at his shiny new replacement.The old:Credit where credit is due — it is certainly impressive what Justin Trudeau's Liberals have been able to accomplish in less than a decade since coming to power. They have:Made enemies of India, Russia, China, AND the US simultaneously including tariff wars with both our #1 and #2 trading partners.Reduced Canada from a balanced budget to a $62 billion dollar deficit (that's around the cost of a dozen brand new SW Edmonton hospitals’ worth in one year, never built) and over ten years, as much additional debt as all the previous prime ministers combined — over $600 billion.Transformed Canada from having one of the world's strongest economies through the financial crisis of 2008, to now approaching the worst growth rate of any of the 38 countries of the OECD.Humbled Canada’s middle class from being the richest in the world to now seeing the median income of every U.S. state — even the poorest! — surpassing all Canada’s provinces.Increased average home prices by more than two thirds ($413k to $707k.)Reworked the Canadian immigration system, which was the envy of the world, into one which is now a stark warning of what not to do as we deal with the worsening effects of housing shortages, overburdened healthcare systems and schools, ethnic strife, and street protests seemingly more often relating to overseas conflicts than any of our multiplicity of domestic catastrophes.Turned a steadily decreasing violent crime rate, to a 44% increase.Drove Canadians to double their food bank usage to over 2 million visits a month.The list goes on, but already any demolitionist, arsonist, or saboteur would be rightly impressed with such an incredible trail of destruction!Following this record of quite likely the worst prime minister in Canadian history (rivalled only by his own father,) what leader has now been crowned by the Liberal Laurentian elite to guide the nation?The new:The Liberals, the party of "diversity and inclusion," kicked out the only minorities in the race (Chandra Arya and Ruby Dhalla) — thus removing one third of the candidates, so they could elect the old white guy... did I get that right?To follow the trust fund baby who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the party of equity just elected another multimillionaire Laurentian elitist, a banker no less?The party that is so proud of their record in office is now cheering when their newly elected leader claims he'll abolish their signature consumer carbon tax that until five minutes ago, all of them said was so effective and necessary to save the earth? This new champion who claims to be an outsider who can fix Canada’s problems... Wasn't he for five years a principal advisor to the outgoing leader who set us on this path?This new leader is touted to be a great improvement on the last. Yet aren’t the same key people who have been in the Prime Minister's Office over the previous administration (Gerald Butts, Katie Telford, even Justin Trudeau himself!) the people who worked behind the scenes to get this new fellow elected?And we're to believe that this large national Liberal party is highly enthusiastic and invigorated despite only receiving less than double the votes — (152k vs 85k) — that Alberta’s little provincial UCP leadership race received two years ago?That’s despite the Liberal party offering free memberships to anyone across this country of 41 million people — about 10x more than Alberta. As if we also don't recall that the current CPC leader was elected in a race that saw far more than double the number of voters — 417k — and continues to draw crowds everywhere he goes that are larger than the size of this Liberal leadership convention.This new Liberal leader (we are now expected to believe) will stand up for Canada's sovereignty against "annexation” — despite the fact that he only recently returned from living for years on a different continent where he publicly declared himself to be a European? This elitist who holds two passports for countries an ocean away--that's the hero the Liberals think will save Canada?Let’s hope our fellow Canadians have the good sense to see through the charade. The only ones who might be happy with a Liberal win are those who think Mark Carney winning a national election would demonstrate yet more clearly, the sharp divide between east and west in this country. That might be the wake up call necessary to drive Alberta (followed by Saskatchewan) towards greater sovereignty.Timothy Siebert is an Edmonton-based engineering technologist.

SIEBERT: Nothing about the Carney Liberals looks good — or different

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