[Dion]

Trudeaumania not worth the price

This election will define how we handle the greatest spending dilemma of our time and the legacy we will leave to future generations in Canada.

The first is $1.2 trillion. That’s the combined federal and provincial government debt in Canada, about $33,800 for every man, woman, and child.

This debt will be repaid, slowly, by taxpayers, through higher taxes and reduced government services.

It’s been nearly a decade since the global financial crisis and recession hit, and the federal and provincial governments are finally starting to rein in spending to return to balanced budgets.

The second figure for Canadians to consider when they cast their vote is $26 billion.

That’s how much taxpayers shell out each year to pay interest on Canada’s federal debt — about $1,500 per worker per year just to keep the bond lenders at bay.

Rather than paying down debt, pre-funding future health care and pension costs, or returning money to taxpayers through tax cuts, $26 billion is washed down the drain annually just to pay the ghosts of governments past.

The third number to keep in mind Monday is $146.5 billion. That’s how much Justin Trudeau has promised in new spending during this campaign.

After weeks of criticizing Harper for racking up debt, Trudeau flip-flopped and decided to campaign on deficits.

Trudeau wants Canada to follow Ontario down the road of runaway spending, bloated budgets, and endless borrowing.

The forth number Canadians should consider is 2015.
According to Statistics Canada’s annual population report, 2015 is the first year in our history seniors over 65 outnumber children under the age of 15.

So 2015 is a milestone. It’s the tipping point in the demographic tsunami economists and academics have long been dreading.

As more baby boomers retire, government spending on health care, Old Age Security and pensions will soar, and the smaller number of young Canadians will carry a much larger fiscal burden.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/10/16...orth-the-price