Federal Government & Politics II

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by niwell

There's obviously exceptions but anecdotally the individuals I know receiving direct funding during COVID through CERB needed it to pay rent as their employment was essentially placed on hold. Those that benefited during COVID through decreased spending (like myself) didn't receive any real benefits - just were lucky enough to remain working salaried at home with far fewer things to spend on. That's certainly a factor in the situation we've ended up in but it's correlated more highly with restrictions on the economy rather than direct spending.

There was definitely the factor of "enforced savings" for those who were lucky enough to seamlessly shift their existing employment to work-from-home. I temporarily relocated from my condo to my parents place for a few months at the beginning of Covid since they have a large property and a gym in the basement. I still remember in April 2020 my visa bill for the entire month was something like $70, with a couple subscriptions, an ebook, and a video game purchase to keep me occupied.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by niwell

There's obviously exceptions but anecdotally the individuals I know receiving direct funding during COVID through CERB needed it to pay rent as their employment was essentially placed on hold. Those that benefited during COVID through decreased spending (like myself) didn't receive any real benefits - just were lucky enough to remain working salaried at home with far fewer things to spend on. That's certainly a factor in the situation we've ended up in but it's correlated more highly with restrictions on the economy rather than direct spending.

This mirrors my exact experience. Anecdotally my tenant was unable to work for months (hairdresser). If she couldn't afford rent I would be put in a tough spot. Kicking her out and finding another tenant (in that market!), or not and suffering financially. Would have been a lose-lose situation any way you look at it.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

This mirrors my exact experience. Anecdotally my tenant was unable to work for months (hairdresser). If she couldn't afford rent I would be put in a tough spot. Kicking her out and finding another tenant (in that market!), or not and suffering financially. Would have been a lose-lose situation any way you look at it.

How many peoples hair did she cut on the side though? I know of several people who collected and worked on the side for cash the whole time.

[whatnext]

Thanks again Justin Trudeau! I had already posted that the three killers of Hardeep Singh Nijjar had entered Canada posing as international students. Now we're finding out more about the background of the robber who caused the unspeakable tragedy on Hwy 401 of an accident claiming the life of an infant and his grandparents:


WARMINGTON: Suspected LCBO bandit on bail at time of deadly wrong-way 401 crash
The suspect died in the head-on collision but an innocent three-month-old Ajax boy and his grandparents were also killed
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 04, 2024

The driver of a van killed in a head-on crash that also claimed three innocent lives as he fled from cops speeding the wrong way on Hwy. 401 in Whitby, allegedly after an attempted LCBO robbery, was facing charges for two other liquor store robberies.

Gagandeep Singh, who was allegedly armed with a knife at the time of the police pursuit, was released on $2,000 bail this winter by a Justice of the Peace in a Hamilton court and was set to return to Milton court on May 14.

But the 21-year-old won’t be making that court date after driving the U-Haul cargo van westbound in the eastbound lanes – allegedly in an effort to evade Durham Regional Police officers after Monday’s attempted heist in Bowmanville – and crashing into a Nissan Sentra, killing a baby and his grandparents who were visiting from India....

...Singh, sources say, has been in Canada for a short time as a foreign student from India but had fallen into a narcotics dependency.

Court records show Singh – born July 7, 2002 – was facing three theft under $5,000 charges – for allegedly stealing merchandise from a Home depot in Milton on Jan. 15, a Burlington LCBO store on Jan. 28, and a Home depot in Milton on Feb. 27. He was also facing a robbery charge for allegedly stealing merchandise from an LCBO in Oakville on Jan. 26...

https://torontosun.com/news/local-ne...-way-401-crash

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Hecate

How many peoples hair did she cut on the side though? I know of several people who collected and worked on the side for cash the whole time.

I don't know. I don't care. What's the relevance? Everyone should break the rules and go black market?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

I think if you crunch the numbers the idea we could have only borrowed $100 Billion 2019-2024 is a bit far fetched.


Are you saying all that houshold savings was Covid benefits and we can just zero it out and break even? CERB alone was $80 Billion and a few people with Etsy hobbies ending up getting it the bulk were people who were able to survive. They spent it and sure the dollars went to their landlords bank account but what was other option? Our debt based rental society simply can't have 20% of people without any income. Anyway the past is the past. Though totally fair to turf a government out for their past choices I am interested in what comes next. I agree we need a dramatic U turn in spending and won't get it even with a new Liberal leader like Carney. I know you personally won't be whining but I guarantee there will be endless posts commenting on how heartless the new government cutting x y and z. Or just as likely deficits continue to climb and very little changes until we get our next Blue Liberal finance minister to clean everything up.

At the height of the pandemic two million people lost their jobs. The vast majority of those jobs were back by the summer.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/pe...135202525.html

7.6 million people collected CERB

https://globalnews.ca/news/8987131/c...ovid-benefits/

Even if all two million of those people needed CERB (which is questionable given that a lot of those April layoffs were only for a few weeks), CERB overshot the mark by 5 million.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by acottawa

At the height of the pandemic two million people lost their jobs. The vast majority of those jobs were back by the summer.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/pe...135202525.html

7.6 million people collected CERB

https://globalnews.ca/news/8987131/c...ovid-benefits/

Even if all two million of those people needed CERB (which is questionable given that a lot of those April layoffs were only for a few weeks), CERB overshot the mark by 5 million.

CERB was taxable.

Wasn't CERB also used for people who couldn't work due to quarantine? My wife collected something for 1 week because she could not work (no WFH option). I'm sure those are all counted in the 7.6M tally.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by acottawa

At the height of the pandemic two million people lost their jobs. The vast majority of those jobs were back by the summer.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/pe...135202525.html

7.6 million people collected CERB

https://globalnews.ca/news/8987131/c...ovid-benefits/

Even if all two million of those people needed CERB (which is questionable given that a lot of those April layoffs were only for a few weeks), CERB overshot the mark by 5 million.

2.5 Million more basically got no hours and many of these and more had their wages mostly paid by the government. This totaled $100 million and was far more questionable.
I know the claim is all this led to milk and rent costing more but a massive recession bordering on depression is the only other option. We are a living paycheck to paycheck debt fueled consumer economy. A total collapse was certainly not preferable. Could we have spent only $100 million on wage subsidies and CERB instead of $200 Million and had a little unemployment sure maybe. It is a bit weird we didn't accept even having a minor recession.

Again we can argue about what was best but saying even a 50% lower expenditure was possible seems unlikely.

UK US and Australia all with more right wing governments than us spent more. Only Italy and France spent less of our contemporaries but they likely have such robust safety nets and long term unemployed it's not comparable. (edit: and they got a piece of the $2 trillion the EU spent)

https://www.taxpayer.com/media/Repor...c-Spending.pdf

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

2.5 Million more basically got no hours and many of these and more had their wages mostly paid by the government. This totaled $100 million and was far more questionable.
I know the claim is all this led to milk and rent costing more but a massive recession bordering on depression is the only other option. We are a living paycheck to paycheck debt fueled consumer economy. A total collapse was certainly not preferable. Could we have spent only $100 million on wage subsidies and CERB instead of $200 Million and had a little unemployment sure maybe. It is a bit weird we didn't accept even having a minor recession.

Again we can argue about what was best but saying even a 50% lower expenditure was possible seems unlikely.
[/url]

Where did you get $100M for the CEWS wage subsidy? CEWS cost $100+ BILLION, and CERB plus CRB costs around $200 BILLION.

[ssiguy]

I don't think any rational individual blames Trudeau for the skyrocketing of our debt levels during the COVID years. Whether they spent to much for too long is a matter of discussion but the reality is that the gov't had to spend tens of billions on healthcare and income supplements. All this while having to spend billions more to keep the economy afloat and wholesale bailouts to keep some of our key industries and services from collapsing ie transit, airlines etc all while gov't revenues plunged.

The COVID years is not the issue but rather what happened before and after it. Trudeau inherited a balanced budget and quickly turned it into a deficit while the economy was still growing. Since COVID he has been spending like a mad man on new programs that we do not have the funds to maintain while our healthcare system collapses. Now we are having to spend tens of billions to build new housing to help solve the housing crisis that he created with his door-wide-open immigration policy. All these expenses added to the fact that the man has increased the size of the civil service by a whopping 40%.

He really does think like an Argentinian.............if there is a problem just throw money at it and if you don't have any money then just print some more. Now he has saddled younger generations {who are already vastly poorer than their grandparents} with numbing debt levels to service.

[Marshsparrow]

Some great work done by aghast CBC... Pierre being Pierre - says one thing, but then acts another - this guy is such a gatekeeper.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poi...ists-1.7196143

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Some great work done by aghast CBC... Pierre being Pierre - says one thing, but then acts another - this guy is such a gatekeeper.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poi...ists-1.7196143

Better a gatekeeper than a clueless incompetent.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Some great work done by aghast CBC... Pierre being Pierre - says one thing, but then acts another - this guy is such a gatekeeper.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poi...ists-1.7196143

Lobbyists are useless - what a card!

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I don't know. I don't care. What's the relevance? Everyone should break the rules and go black market?

From your response I’m guessing she illegally cut your hair and your family’s hair too, all while getting free money from the government. + tips. Not a bad gig

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Hecate

From your response I’m guessing she illegally cut your hair and your family’s hair too, all while getting free money from the government. + tips. Not a bad gig

LOL what? You make no sense. She didn't do any of that.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

CERB was taxable.

Wasn't CERB also used for people who couldn't work due to quarantine? My wife collected something for 1 week because she could not work (no WFH option). I'm sure those are all counted in the 7.6M tally.

I can give one example. I work with a guy who went off for surgery in spring 2020. It was easier to apply for CERB than go through the BS with the insurance company at work to collect short term disability. They initially denied his claim calling it voluntary surgery, so instead of getting the surgeon involved, he just went the CERB route.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

2.5 Million more basically got no hours and many of these and more had their wages mostly paid by the government. This totaled $100 million and was far more questionable.
I know the claim is all this led to milk and rent costing more but a massive recession bordering on depression is the only other option. We are a living paycheck to paycheck debt fueled consumer economy. A total collapse was certainly not preferable. Could we have spent only $100 million on wage subsidies and CERB instead of $200 Million and had a little unemployment sure maybe. It is a bit weird we didn't accept even having a minor recession.

Again we can argue about what was best but saying even a 50% lower expenditure was possible seems unlikely.

UK US and Australia all with more right wing governments than us spent more. Only Italy and France spent less of our contemporaries but they likely have such robust safety nets and long term unemployed it's not comparable. (edit: and they got a piece of the $2 trillion the EU spent)

https://www.taxpayer.com/media/Repor...c-Spending.pdf

There was no risk of a recession bigger than than the one we got. It was a supply crisis (the economy could not provide its normal range of goods and services to meet demand) not a demand crisis (people couldn’t buy goods and services available in the market). Dumping more money into a supply constrained economy leads to either inflation or accumulation of cash. It does not lead to growth. This is why households accumulated 350 billion in savings during the pandemic and we got significant inflation.

“Well Trump did it too” is not a great excuse.

[acottawa]

The Liberals hired 100,000 more bureaucrats but still can't get passports out in a timely way.

Hours on hold and endless queues: Canadians still grappling with poor passport service
Long waits to speak to someone on the phone or in person have left travellers frustrated

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tas...imes-1.7196445

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by acottawa

The Liberals hired 100,000 more bureaucrats but still can't get passports out in a timely way.

Hours on hold and endless queues: Canadians still grappling with poor passport service
Long waits to speak to someone on the phone or in person have left travellers frustrated

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tas...imes-1.7196445

Part of this is the fault of the traveler for not planning on this though. My kids both did their passports last summer by mail and had them in about 2 weeks, no setting foot in a passport office. People for the most part are spending a bunch of time planning and searching a trip, and don't even give their passport any consideration.

[MonctonRad]

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