From Yakk Stack

Sheldon Yakiwchuk

Advanced Polling in effect, lineups at the polls longer than ever witnessed in Canadian History, it’s only Today that Mark Carney and the Liberals have unleashed the furry of their Economic Pathway for Canadians…

No Balanced Budget until 2045?
AYFKM?

This is literally worse than imagining that the Budget will Balance Itself!

And…

From an Economist?

I mean…

By now, Canadians are used to watching Liberal leaders toss around billions as if Monopoly money flows from the Peace Tower. But Mark Carney, the supposed “grown-up in the room,” has just shattered any illusion that he’s the responsible one at the table.

In the latest Liberal platform rollout, Carney promised nearly $130 billion in new measures over four years — a move that, when combined with existing spending plans, adds a jaw-dropping $225 billion to Canada’s already ballooning federal debt. This isn’t just imprudent — it’s economic malpractice.

And let’s not forget, this isn’t coming from a part-time drama teacher. This is Mark Carney — the former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. A man who, on paper, should understand that debt and deficits aren’t abstract theories, but real burdens passed on to future generations. Yet here he is, throwing fiscal caution to the wind with more reckless abandon than Justin Trudeau ever managed with his “sunny ways.”

A Dangerous Dose of Delusion

Carney called this platform “prudent with people’s hard-earned tax dollars” — as if adding a quarter-trillion dollars to the national debt is the new definition of restraint.

One of the marquee pledges? A 1% cut to the lowest federal tax bracket, dropping it from 15% to 14%. While that sounds like a modest win for working Canadians, the real cost is anything but: $22 billion over four years — paid for with borrowed money. It’s a shiny giveaway wrapped in fiscal irresponsibility.

On the defense front, the Liberals now want to increase military spending by $18 billion, finally waking up to global threats after years of neglect. This includes everything from raises and housing for CAF members to long-overdue modernization and recruitment reforms — noble goals, no doubt, but late and politically motivated. The Liberals have ignored defense for a decade, but now that NATO is watching and war is trending, they’re throwing money at the problem and hoping no one notices the hypocrisy.

Worse Than Trudeau?

Let’s be clear: Justin Trudeau’s time in office saw deficits explode, services falter, and fiscal anchors snapped like twigs. But Trudeau never claimed to be an economist. Carney does — and that makes this all the more damning.

This is not the cool-headed central banker Canadians were promised. This is a politician trying to outspend Trudeau in an election year, cloaking vote-buying in economic jargon and calling it “vision.”

The Bottom Line

Carney’s plan is not a blueprint for prosperity — it’s a roadmap to fiscal ruin. If Trudeau was the wide-eyed idealist who believed budgets balanced themselves, Carney is the cold, calculated number-cruncher who knows they don’t… and spends anyway.

Canada doesn’t need another “visionary” with a blank cheque. It needs leadership with a grip on reality — and a respect for taxpayers that goes beyond pandering soundbites.

Because if this is what “responsible” leadership looks like, we’re in deeper trouble than we thought.

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

By Marco Navarro-Genie

The grand net-zero vision is fading as financial giants withdraw from global climate alliances

In recent years, governments and Financial institutions worldwide have committed to the goal of “net zero”—cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible by 2050. One of the most prominent initiatives, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), sought to mobilize trillions of dollars by shifting investment away from fossil fuels and toward green energy projects.

The idea was simple in principle: make climate action a core part of financial decision-making worldwide.

The vision of a net-zero future, once championed as an inevitable path to global prosperity and environmental sustainability, is faltering. What began as an ambitious effort to embed climate goals into the flow of international capital is now encountering hard economic and political realities.

By redefining financial risk to include climate considerations, GFANZ aimed to steer financial institutions toward supporting a large-scale energy transition.

Banks and investors were encouraged to treat climate-related risks—such as the future decline of fossil fuels—as central to their financial strategies.

But the practical challenges of this approach have become increasingly clear.

Many of the green energy projects promoted under the net-zero banner have proven financially precarious without substantial government subsidies. Wind and solar technologies often rely on public funding and incentives to stay competitive. Energy storage and infrastructure upgrades, critical to supporting renewable energy, have also required massive financial support from taxpayers.

At the same time, institutions that initially embraced net-zero commitments are now facing soaring compliance costs, legal uncertainties and growing political resistance, particularly in major economies.

Major banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs have withdrawn from GFANZ, citing concerns over operational risks and conflicting fuduciary duties. Their departure marks a signifcant blow to the alliance and signals a broader reassessment of climate finance strategies.

For many institutions, the initial hope that governments and markets would align smoothly around net-zero targets has given way to concerns over financial instability and competitive disadvantage. But that optimism has faded.

What once appeared to be a globally co-ordinated movement is fracturing. The early momentum behind net-zero policies was fuelled by optimism that government incentives and public support would ease the transition. But as energy prices climb and affordability concerns grow, public opinion has become noticeably more cautious.

Consumers facing higher heating bills and fuel costs are beginning to question the personal price of aggressive climate action.

Voters are increasingly asking whether these policies are delivering tangible benefits to their daily lives. They see rising costs in transportation, food production and home energy use and are wondering whether the promised green transition is worth the economic strain.

This moment of reckoning offers a crucial lesson: while environmental goals remain important, they must be pursued in balance with economic realities and the need for reliable energy supplies. A durable transition requires market-based solutions, technological innovation and policies that respect the complex needs of modern economies.

Climate progress will not succeed if it comes at the expense of basic affordability and economic stability.

Rather than abandoning climate objectives altogether, many countries and industries are recalibrating, moving away from rigid frameworks in favour of more pragmatic, adaptable strategies. Flexibility is becoming essential as governments seek to maintain public support while still advancing long term environmental goals.

The unwinding of GFANZ underscores the risks of over-centralized approaches to climate policy. Ambitious global visions must be grounded in reality, or they risk becoming liabilities rather than solutions. Co-ordinated international action remains important, but it must leave room for local realities and diverse economic circumstances.

As the world adjusts course, Canada and other energy-producing nations face a clear choice: continue down an economically restrictive path or embrace a balanced strategy that safeguards both prosperity and environmental stewardship. For countries like Canada, where natural resources remain a cornerstone of the economy, the stakes could not be higher.

The collapse of the net-zero consensus is not an end to climate action, but it is a wake-up call. The future will belong to those who learn from this moment and pursue practical, sustainable paths forward. A balanced approach that integrates environmental responsibility with economic pragmatism offers the best hope for lasting progress.

Marco Navarro-Genie is the vice president of research at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. With Barry Cooper, he is coauthor of Canada’s COVID: The Story of a Pandemic Moral Panic (2023).