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National Post
3 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Andrew Richter: Keeping supply management is economic suicide
Article content Thus a question worth considering is what accounts for this support. No doubt part of the explanation is the power of several key domestic interest groups. Both the Dairy Famers of Canada and the Egg Farmers of Canada spend heavily on ads promoting it, and they have succeeded in persuading many Canadians that supply management results in safer products and more consistent supply. Article content In addition, supply management has strong support from most of Canada's media. The Toronto Star and the CBC go apoplectic at the mere mention of changes to it, and the generally centrist Globe and Mail is also quite supportive, in spite of its (supposed) commitment to free markets. Only National Post offers consistent criticism. Article content And lastly, supporters have succeeded in persuading Canadians that the program's demise would decimate our dairy sector, as they argue that domestic producers could not possibly compete with larger international players. Article content That last argument is particularly questionable, as there is little reason to doubt that in the absence of state-controlled quotas and prices, Canadian dairy farmers would become more efficient and innovative. Article content Article content Indeed, a similar argument was made decades ago with regards to wine. For years Canada's wine market was carefully regulated and foreign wines were heavily tariffed. Canadian producers argued that without such taxes the industry would be destroyed, as it could not possibly compete with French, Italian, and Spanish wines. Article content In fact, the opposite occurred. With the opening of the market, Canadian producers were suddenly forced to offer a better product, and the result has been an explosion in both the number of domestic producers (now approaching 1,000) and the quality of our wines. Indeed, Canadian wines now routinely win international competitions, something that would have been unthinkable 40 or 50 years ago (when something called Baby Duck seemed to be the best we could do!). Article content In sum, the Canada-U.S. trade talks have entered their final phase. But a familiar obstacle remains. The Canadian government seems totally committed to supply management, even if this support comes at the cost of killing a potential agreement. Such an outcome would be catastrophic, as Ottawa would literally be committing economic suicide. And yet this result is very much in play, and might be unavoidable if the U.S. decides that there will be no agreement unless Canada agrees to make dramatic changes to the program. Article content
National Post
14-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
FIRST READING: Even with cuts, Carney's spending is still off the charts
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content TOP STORY Article content A series of leaked letters sent out by the Prime Minister's Office indicate that Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking to slash government spending by 15 per cent over the next three years. If the targets are met, this could work out to about $25 billion in savings per year. Article content The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, for one, said that these would represent the 'worst cuts to the public service in modern history,' and would 'rival' the aggressive reductions to government spending that Canada undertook in the 1990s. Article content Article content But the spending of the Trudeau era was so profligate and so unprecedented, that even after these supposedly draconian cuts, the Government of Canada would still be spending money at record highs. Article content Below, a cursory summary of how, even if Carney does meet his austerity targets, Canada would still be spending well beyond its means … and well beyond what was considered normal federal spending just a few years ago. Article content The COVID-19 pandemic was the point when most world governments abandoned any notion of fiscal prudence. This was more true for Canada's Liberal government than almost anyone else. Even without accounting for the extraordinary expenses of the pandemic itself, the COVID-19 era witnessed an expansion of the federal service that really hasn't abated since. Article content Article content In the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019), federal program spending was $338.5 billion. In the most recent fiscal year (2024-2025), it was $485.7 billion. Article content Article content If you slash 15 per cent from $485.7 billion, you're still looking at federal program spending of $412.9 billion. Thus, even if the Carney government met all their austerity targets, they'd still be overseeing a federal government that is 22 per cent more expensive than it was just six years ago. Article content And that's if they just cut 15 per cent off the status quo. It doesn't factor in the massive spending proposals being proposed by Carney just in the last few months — all of which are hard to tally up because his government hasn't prepared a budget. Article content In an email to National Post, Fraser Institute budget analyst Jake Fuss said he doubts the 15 per cent target will end up yielding a smaller government. 'Federal program spending will still likely increase year-over-year, but the 15 per cent savings will scale back the magnitude of the increase in spending,' he wrote. Article content In the last year of the Harper government, federal program spending came in at $256.2 billion. Even when accounting for the inflation of the last 10 years, that's still equivalent to just $331.7 billion in 2025 dollars. Article content Even if the Carney government can get annual program spending down to $412.9 billion, Canada would still be spending 25 per cent more than what was the norm under the Conservatives. Article content As of the most recent count, there were 357,965 people working for the federal public service. When the Liberals first took power in 2015, that number stood at 257,034. In just 10 years, the number of federal bureaucrats has swelled by almost 40 per cent. Article content Government employment has not only grown way faster than population growth, but public sector hiring has vastly outstripped hiring in the private sector. According to a December study by the C.D. Howe Institute, Canada has been hiring two government workers for every one worker getting a job in the private sector. Article content Article content This explains some of why government has gotten so expensive under the Liberals. The average federal civil servant is paid about $125,000 per year in salary and other benefits. So those extra 100,000 bureaucrats could be costing an extra $12.5 billion per year just in compensation. Article content However, let's say that the federal civil service rolls are reduced only by the 15 per cent target now being proposed by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne. Article content That would yield layoffs of about 53,700 civil servants. But the bureaucrats left would still number 304,265; a workforce that would still be 20 per cent larger than in 2015. Article content Even if the 15 per cent target was met, Canada would still have a higher per-capita rate of civil servants than in 2015 — and a higher per-capita rate of bureaucrats than in peer countries such as the U.K. or Germany. Article content Canada's population has massively increased over the past four years, almost entirely as a result of a record-breaking post-COVID immigration surge. From 2019 to 2025, the Canadian population grew from 37.6 million to 41.5 million — an increase of about 650,000 per year. Article content This somewhat explains the expansion of government, but not entirely. On a per-capita basis, federal program spending in the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic was about $9,000 per person. Article content In 2024, by contrast, per capita federal program spending topped out at $11,700 per person. So, even if that per-capita number goes down by 15 per cent, it's still going be to $9,950 per year — about $1,000 higher than it was in 2019. Article content And the contrast is about the same when compared to the pre-Trudeau era. Article content The Canadian population stood at about 35.8 million the last time there was a Conservative government in charge. So the $256.2 billion spent in 2014/2015 under the Harper government worked out to about $7,156 per person — or $9,265 per person if you're factoring in inflation. Article content In other words, even the most streamlined version of the Carney government's spending plans is still going to represent at least $700 more per Canadian per year over what was typical just 10 years ago.
National Post
11-07-2025
- General
- National Post
The RCMP's Stetson is 'iconic' Canadiana. It's also made in America
An RCMP officer adjusts his Stetson hat before the start of march. Photo by Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press/File OTTAWA — Go to any event featuring RCMP in ceremonial dress, and you're bound to see Mounties wearing the red serge, blue and yellow breeches, a Sam Browne belt, brown Strathcona boots, and a wide-brimmed, beige Stetson. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The hat, nicknamed the 'red Stetson,' has appeared as part of the RCMP uniform on stamps, posters, promotional videos and even documentaries. It is a core piece of the Mounties' iconic image and an internationally recognizable piece of Canadiana. It's also made in the U.S.A. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again On its website, the B.C. RCMP boast that no other element of the Mountie uniform 'has the mystique of the Stetson hat,' apart from maybe the red serge. The RCMP's official page on the Stetson also notes that the hat is Canadian from its inception as it is 'exclusively crafted by the Biltmore Stetson Canada Company in Guelph, Ontario.' Except that the Biltmore Stetson Canada Company plant in Guelph shut down in early 2012 after it was purchased by Dorfman-Pacific (now Dorfman Milano), according to the Guelph Mercury newspaper. Since then, the iconic Canadian hat has been built at the Dorfman plant — in Garland, Texas. 'Absolutely, I believe that they should be manufactured in Canada,' says Holly Allen, general manager and head of millinery design at Smithbilt Hats, a Calgary-based manufacturer that makes the traditional 'white hat' given to visitors during the Calgary Stampede. The Stetson appears to be the only part of the RCMP uniform that is not made in Canada. For example, the red serge is manufactured in Quebec, the boots are made by the Alberta Boot company, and bidding on a 2015 contract for RCMP breeches was 'conditionally limited to Canadian Goods.' In a statement, Erica Prince, RCMP deputy director of communications, suggested that the RCMP was not aware of the wrong information on its webpage about the Stetson until the inquiry by the National Post. She said the webpage had not been updated in a long time and that the date of the update was due to aesthetic changes to the website. 'We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and have flagged the page for review,' Prince said in an emailed reply. Despite its website and social media posts reiterating the false claim that the hats are manufactured in Guelph, the RCMP noted that its Stetsons are made in Texas in a 2024 press release about a visit to the Dorfman Milano Hat Factory. 'What better place to have our iconic Stetsons made than a state known for their ten-gallon hats?!,' reads the press release. But at a time when Canada is in a trade war with the United States and President Donald Trump frequently proposes to make Canada the 51st American state, is the government comfortable that such an iconic piece of Canadiana is being produced in Texas?
