Commentary
Is government in Canada broken? Opinions seem divided between the Marie Antoinettes inside the palaces and the peasants who are revolting. But as an economist and a historian I respond: “Compared to what?”
For instance, it’s currently outperforming the Austro-Hungarian empire. And if you’re thinking it’s not much of a standard, let’s try to find a reasonable one.
Weighing in strongly on the “aye” side in the National Post, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Aaron Wudrick said many things I wanted to, including quoting this precious Gerald Butts tweet: “The public sector got us through two years of pandemic, vaccinated everyone who wanted one and kept several million Canadian households from going bankrupt. But the commentariat has declared Canada broken because they have to wait for their passports?” And certainly, a major issue with the broad public sector in Canada is smugness….