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Friday, September 26, 2025

BONOKOSKI: Canadians’ top concern is the economy – do our politicians care?

By
Mark Bonokoski
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Source: Pexels

Canadians are now worried less about health care — it having spiked at the peak of the pandemic — and are more focused today on basic economic issues like paying the rent and feeding the family.

”Health care is still the top national issue of concern at 16% as of the latest available tracking, but it’s down four points over the previous four weeks,” said Nanos Research. “Jobs and the economy have risen two points to 14%, within the margin of error.”

Other issues related to the economy that Canadians said they’re concerned about are inflation, the debt and deficit, and the cost of housing.

All this comes in the wake of the recent federal budget where, according to Nanos, as many as 40% of Canadians believe the new budget will do a “poor” or “very poor” job of addressing their concerns.

Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed, 19% said based on what they have heard they would grade the federal budget as poor when it comes to addressing the issues they and their families are worried about, while 20% say it is very poor.

At the same time, about 70% of survey respondents said they were “concerned” (42%) or “somewhat concerned” (29%) about the budget increasing the country’s deficit, which is expected to be $40.1 billion in 2023-24 or nearly $10 billion more than last fall’s economic forecast.

The latest survey “adds up to about three out of every 10 Canadians focused on meat and potatoes issues, directly related to their pocketbook or to the economy,” said Nanos. “So what we’re seeing right now, at least in 2023, is a move away from issues like health care and now a greater focus on those economic issues.”

Nanos added that its weekly consumer confidence tracking for Bloomberg News showed that while it’s moving from negative towards neutral, Canadians’ concerns about where the economy is headed are still in net negative territory.

While the unemployment rate is holding steady at near record lows of 5.1%, economists are forecasting a slowdown in the economy this year due to the Bank of Canada’s aggressive rate hikes, which they believe will weigh on the economy.

Economists’ predictions of a Canadian recession range from “severe” in the first quarter of 2023 to ‘mild” over the middle quarters.

“Canadians are buckling up for the worst,” said Nanos.

Despite this, the Trudeau Liberal government, and the Opposition too for that matter, appear more satisfied in chasing down some facts regarding Chinese election interference.

All seemed jubilant that they finally managed to get Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, to testify before the committee even though her testimony produced zilch.

But at least they got her, right?

Another shiny object to chase — the economy, rent payments and grocery affordability being too demanding and immediate — Sudan’s main paramilitary group said Saturday that it had seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and Khartoum international airport in an apparent coup attempt but the military said it was fighting back.

But the distraction is nonetheless there.

Also causing great concern amongst the public is that over 100,000 workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada could be on strike at any given moment.

Nearly 160,000 workers from industries such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Coast Guard, and Service Canada have entered a legal strike position as of Friday.

Even with the thousands of essential workers who will be unable to strike, over 100,000 workers on the picket lines could create significant gaps in many government services.

PSAC President Chris Aylward says thousands of workers have been without a contract since last June and wages are their number one concern heading into any negotiations.

He says federal workers are like many other Canadians who are struggling with the rising cost of living and inflation. He says they’re tired of watching corporate officials make record profits while they continue to struggle.

Hence, the full circle.

Canadians are now worried less about health care and are more focused today on basic economic issues like paying the rent and feeding the family.

The Alberta Roundup | Peterson suggests separation

By
Rachel Parker
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This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel discusses the Alberta government’s new memorandum of understanding with Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Later in the show, Rachel covers Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s visit to Edmonton and his thoughts on public safety and the Canadian Press. Rachel wants to know what you think of Poilievre’s media strategy.

Also on the show, Rachel explains why the Ethics commissioner is investigating Premier Smith and what the premier thinks about it.

Finally, Rachel ends with her weekly comment roundup.

Tune into the Alberta Roundup now!

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Can civilization be saved?

By
Andrew Lawton
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There’s widespread agreement among people that something feels a bit off in the present era. Crime, violence, political instability, polarization – all seem to be hallmarks of a civilization on the brink of collapse, but are things so dire? True North’s Andrew Lawton speaks with author Michael Bonner about his new book “In Defense of Civilization: How Our Past Can Renew Our Present.”

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Lawyers push back against woke ideology and politicization of law

By
Andrew Lawton
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This month, the Law Society of Ontario will be having its bencher election, an event that will shape the future of the organization. A new campaign called FullStop aims to shake up the election with a bold stance against woke ideology and the politicization of the legal profession. Lawyer Lisa Bildy joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to explain the importance of restoring impartiality and neutrality within Canada’s regulatory bodies.

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Majority of Canadians have unfavourable views of latest Liberal budget

By
Andrew Kozak
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Despite the Trudeau government’s best attempts to showcase its latest budget, the majority of Canadians have an unfavourable view of it and believe the budget doesn’t address their concerns.

According to a recent survey from Nanos, only 19% of Canadians feel that the latest Liberal budget addresses their concerns while nearly 40% say it does a “poor” or “very poor” job of tackling issues Canadians are worried about.

The survey conducted for CTV News found that 20% of the population says the budget is “very poor” at addressing their worries while another 19% feel that it is “poor.” One-third of Canadians said that the budget is “average.”

17% answered that the budget was “good” and only 2% said it was “very good.”

While the country is expected to run a $40.1 billion deficit for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, more than 70% of those surveyed said they were “concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the country’s finances.

Respondents from the Prairie provinces were more likely to rate the budget poorly (53%) than those in B.C. (44%) and Ontario (42%).

Last month’s announcement of Budget 2023 showed the Trudeau government pushing back plans to balance the budget until at least 2028. 

The budget shows the government planning to increase spending on dental care, grocery rebates, and protecting Canadians against predatory spending. The government also plans to spend $21 billion on tax credits to incentivize green energy programs.

The government has pledged to spend $497 billion which Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has called a “fiscally responsible” move.

Leftists triggered by Bud Light target practice joke sign at BC business

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Source: CTV News

Some British Columbia residents are up in arms after a local business put up a joke sign referencing Bud Light’s controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. 

The Sooke business has a sign outside of its premises that reads: “Get them woke Bud Lights out for target practice.” 

Earlier this month, US country music star Kid Rock filmed a video of himself using the Bud Light cans as target practice, causing a row within the country music scene. 

Some locals have called the business’ messaging a form of hate speech and “dangerous” for LGBTQ individuals. 

“That’s making our community unsafe for people and that’s just not acceptable,” claimed local Tyler Roach. 

Barry Marine owner has insisted the sign is just a joke and people need to not take it so seriously. 

Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser Busch has faced calls for a boycott by those opposed to the company’s woke LGBTQ messaging. 

A recent report by The Daily Wire claimed that some executives within the company were not made aware of Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney. 

“No one at a senior level was aware this was happening,” one source within the company told the outlet. 

“Some low-level marketing staffer who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do must have thought it was no big deal. Obviously it was, and it’s a shame because they have a well-earned reputation for just being America’s beer — not a political company. It was a mistake.”

CRA will not extend tax deadline strike action moves forward

By
Andrew Kozak
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Source: Flickr

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will not extend the deadline for Canadians to file their taxes if workers decide to strike.

After members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking last Friday, a spokesperson for the CRA told Global News that there is no plan to extend the deadline for Canadians who still need to file their taxes.

“There are no plans to extend the T1 tax filing deadlines, as a potential strike in no way impedes the ability of Canadians to file their taxes electronically or on paper,” said a spokesperson for the CRA. “Canadians should take steps to ensure their return is filed by May 1, 2023, along with payment for any balance owing.”

If a strike occurs, Canadians can expect serious delays and longer wait times in the last weeks before the deadline, especially those filed on paper.

As of April 14, 35,000 employees at the CRA are in a legal position to strike if a deal is not reached with the government. 

Access to online services will still be available to those who have not yet filed their taxes.

The CRA and PSAC are scheduled to have additional negotiations from April 17 to 20.

PSAC represents thousands of clerks, maintenance workers, tradespeople, coast guard workers, teachers, firefighters, cooks, Employment Insurance and Immigration workers.

The Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) requested a 14-month backdated pay raise of 4.5%, a 2-month backdated pay raise of 8%, a future pay raise of 8% and a one-time pay increase of 9%, adding up to nearly 30% in raises.

Accused traffickers released despite being found with 22 kg of fentanyl

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Three men were released shortly after a raid in Richmond, British Columbia that turned up 22 kilograms of the deadly opioid, fentanyl – a sum that’s enough to kill millions of Canadians. 

Vancouver Police Department (VPD) claimed the arrests were made after an investigation into “a group of criminals that were manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs at various locations throughout the region.” 

Police authorities conducted a search warrant on a property which contained an elaborate fentanyl lab. They also discovered 800 grams of methamphetamines and $39,000 in cash in the residential home.

A search of a nearby vehicle also turned up $48,000 more in cash as well as two kilograms of cocaine.  

“While the results of this investigation are impressive, there is much more work that needs to be done to address B.C.’s overdose crisis and the criminals that profit from it,” VPD Ins. Phil Heard wrote in a press release. 

All three men arrested have since been released pending further investigation. 

Police hope to recommend charges related to the production of controlled substances and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

On Thursday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for bail reform after claiming that the criminals perpetrating violent crimes in Canada are being let out of jail repeatedly by the justice system. 

“We’ve got to replace these crazy catch-and-release crime policies with a common sense criminal justice reform, and that’s exactly what a Pierre Poilievre government will do,” said Poilievre. 

“The same 40 people were arrested 6,000 times in a year. That’s 150 arrests per offender per year.” 

The Andrew Lawton Show | Katie Telford testified for over two hours yet said nothing

By
Andrew Lawton
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Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, appeared before members of parliament to supposedly answer questions about China’s interference in Canadian elections and what the government and Liberals new about it. Yet Telford’s testimony was far more about what she couldn’t say or claimed to not know, making it a big snoozefest. True North’s Andrew Lawton breaks down the testimony that produced no news.

Also, a discussion of history and civilization with Michael Bonner, author of the new book “In Defense of Civilization: How Our Past Can Renew Our Present.”

Plus, another instalment of Fake News Friday.

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BONOKOSKI: Prepare for hell if the public service strikes

By
Mark Bonokoski
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Prepare for Hell.

From taxes to passports, pickets lines supporting upwards of 150,000 striking federal civil servants represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) could soon be throwing a major wrench into many a plan.

Some of the picketers will be those who helped process tens of thousands of thousands of CERB applications during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They’re also cleaners and cooks on military bases, clerks and maintenance workers, tradespeople, Coast Guard search and rescue teams, teachers, firefighters and the people Canadians rely on to help process employment insurance, passport applications and immigration documents,” according to PSAC in an email to Daily Hive.

“Canadians can expect to see nationwide disruptions to critical government services.”

Workers at the Canada Revenue Agency will be in a strike position as of Friday. Treasury board workers are in a strike position already, but no strike has been announced and it’s just a “strike mandate.”

Hence, a foreboding.

Passport applications, which have seen a backlog over the past couple of years, could also be put in chaos once again, along with immigration applications.

PSAC also expects a strike to cause interruptions to trade and supply across the country, saying “ports, harbours, trains, airports will all be impacted.”

So, pick the route to your own bureaucratic Hell, although trying to cross into the United States could be nixed if administration staff decide to also hit the bricks.

As of Wednesday, almost half of the entire federal public service is geared up for strike action as a group of workers, which is called the Treasury Board group by the PSAC, is now in a legal strike position.

A spokesperson for Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in a statement that their goal is to reach a deal at the bargaining table as soon as possible, and they believe “significant headway” had been made in the last week.

PSAC president Chris Aylward did not say when a strike could happen. Legally, the union now starts a 60-day window to call a strike, so it could happen as soon as now.

The union also didn’t share how many of its 123,856 members voted in favour. But he said an “overwhelming majority” voted for a strike mandate.

A different bargaining group of about 35,000 PSAC workers at the Canada Revenue Agency voted in favour of strike action Friday ahead of mediation talks set to take place later this month.

That means 155,000 federal public servants represented by PSAC—more than half the total number of federal civil servants—now have a strike mandate. If they go through with it, it would be the largest strike in Canadian history.

There have only been two Canada-wide federal public service strikes in the last 30-plus years, in 1991 and in 2004.

The 1991 strike delayed grain shipments, flights and cross-border travel, while the 2004 strike involved hundreds of picket lines set up at federal offices, tax centres, ports, airports and border crossings.

In the late summer of 2004, strikes by Parks Canada workers temporarily shut many national parks as well as the Rideau Canal.

Back in January, hostile rhetoric between the unions and their principals was peaking.

When the Government of Canada filed a failure to bargain in good faith complaint against PSAC, a strike in the taxman’s offices look more and more inevitable.

The union’s persistent demand to continue with the pandemic need for remote work was dissolving into a reason to go on strike.

And the bad faith complaint, of course, fell on Friday the 13th—a bad-luck day of all days.

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