A letter to the editor published July 7, 2026, questions the relationship between recent government programs that provide money to Canadians for food, housing, dentistry, and other needs, and a struggling economy. The writer, Doug Appt of Niagara Falls, Ontario, wonders whether such government largesse would be necessary if the economy were performing well with lower inflation, low unemployment, and rising GDP.
Spend and Fail: A Critique of Government Handouts
Doug Appt argues that the government's approach of spending to counter a recession is not working. He suggests that the proliferation of benefit programs indicates underlying economic weakness, rather than solving it.
Left Field: Tax Policy and Economic Stagnation
Another letter from Wayne Kotchon of Winnipeg addresses what he sees as a lack of mental acuity among leftist governments across Canada, including the federal Liberals. He contends that these governments believe higher taxes will generate more revenue, but in reality, people spend less to keep their hard-earned money. Kotchon argues that dramatically lowering taxes would encourage spending, boost the economy, and potentially increase government revenues through private enterprise.
He concludes that governments do not create wealth; they only stagnate it, and criticizes annual automatic tax increases as particularly harmful.
