JANICE MIDDLETON • Guest Opinion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s favorite part of the job is listening to Canadians at home, hearing their problems and about their struggles. Seeing them at town hall meetings and exchanging “hugs” is the best part.
Trudeau said so in interviews on the weekend political talk shows. The year-end interviews were held outdoors; both parties, dressed in their Sunday best, were perched on safe-distance stools at the door to the prime minister’s Ottawa residence, Rideau Cottage.
It was largely a self-congratulatory event with a good time had by all as Trudeau danced the light mea culpa over the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the scandals of the past 12 months.
Danielle Humble, a young businesswoman from Nova Scotia, was also featured on CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live. She’s among hundreds of thousands of Canadians who took the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) and now she’s got trouble and a big bill from Ottawa.
Trudeau deftly turned weakness to strengths. The federal government’s failing to initially provide enough PPE (personal protective equipment) in the early weeks of the virus outbreak was an experience that “we learned from,” when agencies moved quickly to order more than enough vaccines that are coming sooner than expected.
If the federal government was too slow to close the border with the United States, it was efficient in “ensuring the free flow of goods and services” keeping the corridors of trade functioning smoothly. Despite the hardships and enormous government spending, “we’re still in a better economic position than any other country in the G-7,” he humble-bragged.
The prime minister’s personal shortcomings exposed in the WE Charity scandal that resulted in thousands of students not getting payment for volunteer work to offset their education costs were counterbalanced by money delivered to Canadians through food banks, the United Way and other programs for students.
In fact, his best decision of the year, he said, was “having Canadians’ backs in the pandemic.”
Fair enough.
“Top marks,” said former NDP leader-turned-pundit Tom Mulcair on CTV’s Question Period.
“Brilliant,” echoed CTV’s Parliament Hill bureau chief Joyce Napier.
However, the unfair clawback letters sent out in the recent weeks to 441,000 Canadians who may have collected more CERB than they were entitled to, “not so much,” added Napier. An opinion shared by several talking heads on the Sunday shows.
It’s all too easy for political leaders and media to talk about what’s happened in the pandemic. It’s a real hardship and emotional blow for those who lost their way of life, reached out and received and now face the long arm of Canada Revenue Agency.
For CERB recipients, the Grinch stealing Christmas is the CRA keen to recoup almost $9 billion, if the average bill owing is $20,000. As staggering as this number sounds, in 2020 Ottawa gave Canadians $33 billion more in programs than they lost in order to keep the lights on.
Humble received one of those CRA letters seeking CERB payback. The Nova Scotia entrepreneur, whose fledgling business was gutted by the pandemic lockdown, told Barton she now regrets buying Christmas presents.
Despite assurances from her accountant that she was good to go, she initially had reservations about applying for CERB, she said. It was because she plowed all of her earnings back into her business resulting in very little profit, certainly not the $5,000 bar set by the government.
Trudeau’s reassurances that those who applied in good faith don’t have to worry about paying back the overpayment does little to ease her mind. She estimates she might owe CRA $17,000. Although, truly, seriously, with her business shut down what else was she supposed to do, I ask you?
“Merry Christmas,” she said with a wobbly smile, as the television host rushed on to the next topic.
Barton went on to report food prices have shot up to the point Canadian families on average are spending $14,000 a year on groceries and face a further $700 hit to their annual food bill in 2021.
Ottawa has vowed to spend $100 million to fight rising food costs.
With an election in sight next year, Trudeau said the most important thing the government can do is “stay focused on delivering for Canadians.”
The last thing a prime minister seeking re-election with a majority government needs is negative pocket-book issues.
“People can never become numbers,” he said.
Tell that to Danielle Humble.
Janice Middleton lives in Lunenburg.
