logo
Cuts, spending, spin: The economics of party platforms

Cuts, spending, spin: The economics of party platforms

CBC25-04-2025

With just days until the federal election, we're cutting through the political spin and confusing math of the major parties' costed platforms. Web Copy/DAVE: Within the last week, the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP have all released their costed platforms, detailing their plans for the country and how they will pay for them. While the question of who will be Canada's next prime minister remains, it's certain they'll face a challenging economic outlook, with a Canada-U.S. trade war in full swing and a recession looming. Who's spending more and on what? How does the confusing math work? Today, we're breaking down the details with Aaron Wherry, a senior writer with CBC's Ottawa bureau. Make sure to watch our election night livestream on Monday, April 28 starting at 8pm Eastern. You can find it here on the CBC News YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxMOdfYba0] and on the CBC News TikTok.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump is ‘a showman before he's a statesman': former PM Joe Clark on annexation threats
Trump is ‘a showman before he's a statesman': former PM Joe Clark on annexation threats

CTV News

time41 minutes ago

  • CTV News

Trump is ‘a showman before he's a statesman': former PM Joe Clark on annexation threats

Former Conservative Prime Minister Joe Clark discusses the current political landscape at a conference hosted by the University of Calgary in Calgary, Thursday, June 12, CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Amid the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada, Canadians should bear in mind that U.S. President Donald Trump is 'a showman before he's a statesman,' former prime minister Joe Clark says. The leaders of the world's most advanced economies are descending on Kananaskis, Alta. for the G7 summit this week, with Trump expected to attend. Ahead of the gathering in Alberta, CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos asked Clark what's been going through his mind in recent months as Trump has levied sweeping tariffs and frequently threatened to annex Canada. 'He is a showman before he's a statesman, and we have to bear that in mind,' Clark said, in an interview airing Sunday. 'There's some degree to that in everyone in public office. You can't ignore your media when you're conducting public policy, now.' 'But his inclination as a quite unique kind of showman is to make his own impact rather than find agreement,' Clark added. 'That's very difficult to deal with, but it's not impossible.' Trump launched his trade war in February, implementing a slate of tariffs on Canadian goods and threatened to use 'economic force' to make Canada the 51st state. 'One of the questions I think all of us are asking regarding the United States is, who else is there around him who might be a restraining influence,' Clark said. While sources have told CTV News there has been substantial progress on a bilateral pact between Canada and the U.S., they also say Trump's own temperamental nature, plus recent domestic pressures — such as the protests in Los Angeles, Calif. and the president's feud with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk — are making any certainty around a timeline even more unpredictable. Asked about his expectations for the summit and any potential bilateral confabs taking place between Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney, Clark said the latter's strength is finding the right time to make his case to the president. He also said it's 'always essential' for the leaders to have time away from the cameras for private discussions. 'One of the unusual factors of this summit with President Trump is that probably much more of the effective work will be done, in effect, off camera and away from some of the formal proceedings,' Clark said. 'And I know that the proceedings are not themselves broadcast live, but nonetheless, there is a performance aspect to his approach to public life that is now not as productive as a quieter approach might be.' Clark served as prime minister from 1979 to 1980, and Secretary of State for External Affairs, which is now Foreign Affairs, from 1984 to 1991 under former prime minister Brian Mulroney. You can watch former prime minister Joe Clark's full interview on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET

Business leaders want B.C. to end rule they say hurts farmers — and makes us more reliant on imported food
Business leaders want B.C. to end rule they say hurts farmers — and makes us more reliant on imported food

CBC

time43 minutes ago

  • CBC

Business leaders want B.C. to end rule they say hurts farmers — and makes us more reliant on imported food

Business leaders in B.C. are calling on the province to end a rule that they say is hurting farmers and making British Columbians more reliant on imported food. In an opinion piece penned in the Vancouver Sun last week, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade CEO Bridgitte Anderson and B.C. Food & Beverage CEO James Donaldson said the so-called "50-50" food processing regulation on agricultural land is "outdated" and "hinders food security, innovation and growth." In B.C., any food processing done on land designated for farm use — Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) — is only allowed if half of what is processed is grown on the farm or on a farm co-op. The other half can be sourced from anywhere in the world. But if that's not possible, Anderson said farmers and businesses end up taking products to the U.S. for processing, which are then brought back to B.C. for sale. "It is not only bad for our economy, it is bad for our food security, it is bad for the climate," Anderson told CBC's The Early Edition. In the Sun article, the pair said the restriction means it would be "economically illogical" for farmers to invest in processing if they're confined to processing only their own crops, rather than being able to process both their own and those of their neighbours. Anderson wants to see it eliminated so that more food products can be processed in B.C., which she said is crucial right now, as climate change affects food security around the world and political tensions make trade unreliable. "This is our opportunity for us to become our own food superpower, if you will, by just eliminating this one simple rule." In an email to CBC News, the Ministry of Agriculture said the rule exists to "promote farming in the ALR by enabling farms to process their own production, capturing the value-added income from the finished product." Anderson said when the ALR was established in 1973 it made sense to protect farmers and farmland, but she believes things are different now, and rules should evolve. "Times have changed and the kind of manufacturing that happens now on farmland has also changed," she said. "It is time to take a look at this and remove this rule that simply does not make any sense anymore." The province didn't respond to questions from CBC News about whether it would reconsider the rule. It did, however, say there are more than 800 food processing facilities in the ALR. Of the 51 applications for food processing and non-farm use to the Agricultural Land Commission in 2025, 88 per cent have been approved so far, the ministry said.

Some 11th Avenue Regina businesses say revitalization project is harming bottom lines
Some 11th Avenue Regina businesses say revitalization project is harming bottom lines

CBC

timean hour ago

  • CBC

Some 11th Avenue Regina businesses say revitalization project is harming bottom lines

Social Sharing Businesses on 11th Avenue in downtown Regina are saying the revitalization project on the street is driving away customers, leading one longtime store to leave the area for good, while another plans to do the same next year. Mortise and Tenon, a household goods retailer, and Norwood, a clothing store, are both relocating to the Cathedral neighborhood. The owners say the move is a consequence of the 11th Avenue revitalization project, which has torn up the street in a multi-year effort to replace aging infrastructure and sidewalks. It is planned to be completed in 2027. "My concern is that by the time this is over, there may not be anyone left on 11th to welcome everybody back to the downtown," said Mortise and Tenon co-owner Dani Hackle. The project is being completed in phases, blocking off two to four blocks at a time. Currently, the road is closed between Albert and Lorne streets. The sidewalks on both sides of the street are still accessible, but the street itself is blocked off, disrupting parking and public transit. The project coincides with several major revitalization efforts taking place around the city. Dewdney Avenue, Saskatchewan Drive and Scarth Street also have upgrades planned or underway. Hackle moved her business from a location on 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue in the Cathedral area in October 2024. Mortise and Tenon had been on 11th Avenue since January 2016. "What we were finding is that not only were we losing our regular customers who were having a hard time navigating the construction and the detours and all of that, but we also weren't gaining any new customers downtown because you just couldn't get to our space," she said. Concern for other businesses Hackle said she appreciates the goal of the revitalization project and is optimistic about how 11th Avenue will look when construction is finished, but is worried about how many businesses in the area will survive until its completion. "I don't see how we would have been able to make it work," she said of her own business's prospects had it stayed in its previous location. "Plus the vision of our business and where we were headed wouldn't have been conducive downtown anymore." Clothing store Norwood is currently operating a new location on 13th Avenue, alongside its older location downtown on 11th Avenue, but will fully transition into its 13th Avenue space in 2026. Cornelia Biegler, who co-owns Norwood and Tiki Room, said Norwood's lease is up, and that the lower foot traffic and higher crime downtown is leading her to make the move. "We're not coming back. We have no desire to be down there," she said. "There's no [Winnipeg] Folk Festival this year, there's no farmers' market downtown anymore. There's no reason for anybody to come downtown, which is so sad. "But literally there's nothing going on. So now I'm on 13th Avenue, and this is a vibrant community. Like, there's stuff going on constantly here." Biegler said she has no plans to move Tiki Room, which sells skateboards and clothing. Culture Grooming Lounge, which is just down the street from Norwood and Tiki Room, also has no plans to leave. John Christie, the barbershop's manager, said Culture has lost a few clients with the construction, but he's generally optimistic about riding out the disruptions. "The lucky part about us being a barber shop is people have an appointment, they're gonna come," he said. "They're gonna be late, and the majority of our clients are late, but they still come." "If we were a retailer, if we were a restaurant, people would just go somewhere else." How one business is adapting A restaurant just down the street from Culture is The Cure Kitchen + Bar, which is co-owned by Kelly Cairns. She said the construction has been disruptive, but has found ways to cope with anticipated lower revenue. She does not have plans to move. "We're still seeing a lot of our regulars, so we're doing OK. We are closing for a week in July just to help with cost, just because we usually have a slowdown in July anyway," she said. "We've also just scaled back a little bit on our events for this summer as well and to reduce the size of our patio." "We're kind of taking an austerity approach or kind of scaling down something just to cut a few costs in anticipation of sales going down." What the mayor is saying In a conversation with the CBC's Morning Edition on June 12, Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski said he's heard the concerns about the construction, but encourages people to remember the long-term benefits of the project, which should bring significantly more people to the area compared to before. "I absolutely acknowledge that it can be frustrating to get around," he said. "But when we're talking about 11th Avenue in particular, there's infrastructure underground there that's being replaced that is from 1913.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store