The News Rundown
- The government in the UK has made news with the idea of lowering the voting age to 16. Now a Canadian Senator, Marilou McPhedran, says we should do the same thing.
- She says this has been her “top parliamentary priority” since joining the senate.
- Senator McPhedran was appointed as a Senator for Manitoba by Justin Trudeau in November 2016.
- She views decisions being made in Canada as affecting younger generations and that extending voting rights to younger people is “logical” and “about fairness.”
- Fair is a word that has a dictionary meaning but it’s also something that is thrown about by toddlers, those without much world experience, and politicians.
- Fair is a subjective word at its core in this context.
- The senator has argued that about a third of 16 year olds work and are paying taxpayers.
- In response to this then one could say that only those who pay taxes should be allowed to vote at all if this is what she’s going for.
- The media follow through from the UK story has let this become an imported issue into Canada.
- This week the media, though mainly the Canadian Press, has talked to young people to make the case.
- Sixteen-year-old Jaden Braves and the organization he leads, Young Politicians of Canada, want to see the federal voting age lowered to 16. He told The Canadian Press that Canada “has to stop living in the shadow of other countries’ innovation that’s progressing faster than ours.”
- A BC Parliamentary committee is also looking into this issue and 18 year old podcasters Jason and Jerry Song spoke to this committee and CTV News Vancouver.
- The Song twins take a more measured approach saying that 16 year olds could vote for school trustees but don’t necessarily need to vote for MLAs or MPs.
- Senator McPhedran has introduced a Bill to lower the age to 16 at the end of May and hopes to see it move into committee when Parliament resumes in the fall.
- The Bill was introduced in the previous Senate before the election and reached second reading.
- Many people may not be aware of this that the Senate is on its own attempting to put forward its own legislation.
- The Senate is an unelected appointed body that could in theory get a Bill to the House of Commons. After that it would be up to the House to determine if that Bill should pass.
- That little known fact should be a bigger discussion point in Canada, but it’s not.
- Canada lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1970.
- Presently those aged 16 can vote in Austria, Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador.
- Those aged 16 in Scotland and Wales can vote in regional elections.
- Michael Wigginton who is a post-doctoral fellow at Carleton University said that the most likely outcome in Canada is for a province to lower the voting age first and then a federal government may follow.
- There are arguments for lowering the voting age and there are also arguments for raising the voting age and limiting who can vote.
- The system as it stands now in Canada captures a vast swath of Canadians and has worked since the changes in the 1970s.
- Today it is unlikely that the system will change quickly.
- We bring this story to you here on Western Context because the push to change the voting age in Canada got very little coverage this week.
- Secondly, as a reminder of how the Senate (an unelected, appointed body) has a massive amount of influence on Canada’s legislative agenda.
- At this point if you feel strongly one way or another on this issue your best bet is to probably write your MP or most local senator.
- Supplementals:
- Over the past few years Canadians have watched as their federal government continues to spend beyond their means and continually raise taxes and the deficit at the same time, as expenditures continued to rise post-pandemic for pretty much everyone during the inflation crisis.
- This means that while the government was reducing the value of money by continually spending and printing more and more, they were also raising the amount of money taken from taxpayers year over year.
- A new report from the Fraser Institute showed the average Canadian family, which it estimates to have earned an income of $114,289 last year, paid about $48,306 in total taxes to federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The average Canadian family spent 42.3 per cent of their income on taxes in 2024.
- Jake Fuss, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute said: “At a time when the cost of living is top of mind across the country, taxes remain the largest household expense for Canadian families. While Canadians can decide for themselves whether or not they get good value for their tax dollars, they should understand how much they pay in taxes each year.”
- Researchers said the average tax bill totals about 22 per cent spent on housing, 11 per cent on food and two per cent on clothing. The study also found the average Canadian Family only spent 33.5 per cent of their income on taxes in 1961, with 56.5 per cent going to basic necessities.
- Over 50% of the tax burden comes from income tax as well as payroll and health taxes.
- The total tax bill, which includes all types of taxes, has increased by 2,784% since 1961, and the tax bill has grown more rapidly than any other single expenditure item. Average cash income rose by 2,186% from 1961 to 2024, overall consumer prices rose by 925%, expenditures on shelter by 2,129%, food by 927%, and clothing by 460%. So while it's obviously true that people on average are making much more than they were in the 1960's, it's also true that the government has been taking much more than they were back then too.
- This past week, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, François-Philippe Champagne, launched the government’s annual pre-budget consultations, giving Canadians until Aug. 28 to share their thoughts on a variety of key issues directly with the government online, via email or through written submissions.
- In a media release, the government noted that part of the consultations will focus on bringing down costs for Canadians, building on its recent “middle-class tax cut,” which saw the lowest federal tax bracket drop to 14.5 per cent (from 15 per cent) as of July 1, with a further cut to 14 per cent scheduled for Jan. 1, 2026.
- As a refresher, we have five federal tax brackets in 2025: zero to $57,375 of income (14.5 per cent); above $57,375 to $114,750 (20.5 per cent); above $114,750 to $177,882 (26 per cent); above $177,882 to $253,414 (29 per cent), with anything above that taxed at 33 per cent. Each province and territory also has its own set of provincial tax brackets and rates. Usually these rates mean that people in the highest bracket get taxed well over 50% of their income combined.
- There exists a perception problem in Canada where the rich are expected to pay more in taxes, but this is largely another imported American problem that doesn't really make sense in Canada. High-income families already pay a disproportionately large share of all Canadian taxes, with the top 20 per cent of income earning families pay nearly two-thirds (64.5 per cent) of the country’s personal income taxes.
- While there are certainly many people within that 20% that can afford an increase in taxes to pay for basics, there are others who are unfairly punished by Canada's regressive system. For example, under our personal income tax system we measure income annually and report it based on the calendar year. As a result of this “convenient but arbitrary time frame,” taxable income is measured discretely each year, without reference to taxable income in prior or subsequent years. This means taxpayers with “lumpy” income, who experience high income in one year but low income the following year, end up paying unfair amounts of tax in those high-income years relative to their actual ability, over time, to pay.
- Another article making the rounds this week suggests that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s increase in military spending should be paid for by higher taxes on the wealthy. While this seems like a great idea to those who aren't considered wealthy, we've seen government definitions of what is middle class and wealthy be different from what the public perceives as such.
- In the end, the government, especially the federal government has continued a trend over the past few decades of having a spending problem, and not a revenue problem. This report from the Fraser Institute certainly confirms that, despite what some in the media believe.
- Supplementals:
- Earlier this summer there was a story about two former United Conservative MLAs seeking to revive the old Progressive Conservative Party.
- Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair left the party for their own reasons related to perceived corruption with AHS and caucus scandals, now they want to create a more middle-of-the-road alternative for Albertans.
- When the UCP was created the law in Alberta was changed to allow for the merging of political parties and to prevent the use of the names of legacy parties.
- The old party name of the “Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta” is a reserved name.
- However, in the last election both the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition and Wildrose Independency Party were allowed to run with the term Wildrose in their names.
- The UCP initially sent a cease and desist order to the MLAs when they were in the process of creating a new political party.
- Now Alberta Party President Lindsay Amantea has invited both MLAs to join the Alberta Party and then after that change the name to “Progressive Conservative”.
- It remains to be seen if Elections Alberta will allow this name change to go through - we should know by September.
- First though before we get into the political ramifications of this, a little bit of irony about this move.
- In the early 2010s the Alberta Party was rebooted as a response to the Wildrose and growing discontent with the PCs. The party promised to do politics without ideology.
- They did this and elected their leader, Greg Clark, in the 2015 Election.
- After though into the 2019 and 2023 election former Progressive Conservatives joined the party en masse silently taking over the party. The party’s fortunes tumbled due to the consolidation of votes in the UCP and NDP.
- Now it appears as though vestiges of the Progressive Conservatives want to do it now, officially, and the Alberta Party is onboard.
- The party, if approved, will seek to provide a moderate anti-separatist alternative to the UCP. They also want to attract lapsed PC voters who have moved to the NDP.
- The fact this option is being considered by Sinclair and Guthrie means that there’s not been an effective rebrand of the NDP yet under Nenshi.
- A lot of people voted for Nenshi because they thought he could move the party to the centre, however, the MLAs, the legacy, and the ties to the federal party have prevented that.
- There is a high chance that the creation of this party hurts the NDP.
- There is also a substantial risk for the UCP.
- The Progressive Conservatives were almost never a right wing party. They were centre right and centre at best. They were populist under Ralph Klein and that led them to success.
- If this new Progressive Conservative Alberta Party captures centre and right leaning votes it could cause vote splits similar to 2015 and that is a risk to the UCP and benefit to the NDP.
- There is also a need for a strong leader. Both Guthrie and Sinclair are not charismatic. Without a strong leader they will find it difficult to get moving when up against Danielle Smith who has a strong persona and Nenshi who easily draws media attention.
- Right now this gamble is a wild card. For it to work it requires old PC voters to come home from the NDP. It also requires people to be upset with the UCP and see the party as a separatist party.
- And, right now that is not happening.
- The Alberta Party’s best bet is to hope for a series of events that is favourable to them and to find a strong leader. Until then Albertans will likely continue to support either the NDP or UCP as they have been for 6 or so years.
Firing Line
- A surprising headline from Quebec shows what some businesses want - more temporary foreign workers in Canada, not less. The headline reads: "23 Quebec business owners launch $300 million lawsuit over temporary foreign worker permits" and one might not know which way that goes, until you see that these businesses actually say they need these workers, and are arguing they’re facing bankruptcy if Ottawa goes ahead with its plan to reduce the number of foreign workers coming into Canada.
- The heads of the 23 businesses, which make everything from steel products to winter jackets and airplane parts, say temporary foreign workers are essential to stay afloat. With Ottawa pushing to reduce the number of permits it issues, employers are upset.
- The lawyer representing the business owners, Frédéric Bérard said: “The federal government from 2021 to 2024 has said to those enterprises, ‘You can count on foreign workers as much as you like. And all of a sudden, they decided to flip the table and say, ‘Well, forget about that, we’re changing the rules.’”
- The changes were put in place after growing pressure from Quebec and some conservative organizations who argue Canada can’t sustain such massive temporary immigration.
- Quebec Premier François Legault said back in October: “We've seen an increase of 300,000 temporary immigrants, 300,000 additional people. So of course it has a major impact on services.”
- Last September, Ottawa changed the rules governing the hiring of temporary foreign workers. Since then, companies can employ a smaller proportion of this low-wage workforce, up to 10%, compared to 20% previously. Moreover, these workers can now only obtain a work visa for a maximum period of one year, rather than two.
- The prosecution also alleges that the amendment of the eligibility criteria for the temporary foreign workers programme "endangers" the physical and psychological health of the workers concerned.
- Bérard said: "Their children learn French. They became Quebec. They chose Quebec. Overnight, they are told, ''We have changed the rules, go back to your country.''
- Le Journal de Montreal has a complete list of the 23 businesses in Quebec, should any in that province want to know which companies want to continue importing foreign labour. They include industry giants in manufacturing, construction, and machinery.
- Temporary foreign workers now account for a little under 19% of Canada’s private-sector workforce. That’s according to a May 1 Immigration Ministry briefing note, according to coverage by Blacklock’s Reporter.
- The briefing note, entitled Temporary Resident Reduction said: “While temporary residents enrich Canada’s economy and social fabric, we have committed to reducing temporary immigration growth to better align the needs of our labour market, housing supply and community capacity.”
- In January, Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey put Canada’s private-sector workforce at nearly 16.5 million people. The note put the number of temporary residents at just over 3 million — a number that includes more than 129,000 individuals who illegally overstayed their visas.
- That number was further broken down to about 1.5 million work permit holders, including 644,000 study permit holders, 164,000 family members without permits of their own, and more than 280,000 asylum claimants with work permits.
- This is the proof in the pudding that the TFW program is just a wage suppression program, designed not to fill gaps in the labour force, but to lower the wages of Canadians, and provide the government with another way to get more people to immigrate.
- We also have to wonder, if these businesses go forward with this in court and the court rules that the government can't cut the TFW allotment, a horrible precedent will be set going forward that the government can’t restrict businesses from getting an unlimited source of TFWs. Likely the courts wouldn't let it get that far, but it's another case of the judiciary system being able to influence policy on a huge level.
- Also, apart from the pandemic, Canadian graduates between the ages of 15 and 24 are facing the highest unemployment rate this country has seen since the mid-1990s, according to first quarter data from Statistics Canada.
- Canada's youngest workers are grappling with a perfect storm of economic conditions: an inflation crisis that came on the heels of a pandemic; a surge in population growth that has outpaced the number of available jobs; and now, a country teetering closer to recession as geopolitics wreaks uncertainty on the economy.
- It was about time that the government of Canada restricted the TFW system which was abused and overused by too many companies for too long. Any company that can't survive without foreign labour should not exist. Companies should be doing more to support young workers, and our government should do the same. That the media ignored this issue until it got to this point is a travesty.
- Supplementals:
Quote of the Week
“At a time when the cost of living is top of mind across the country, taxes remain the largest household expense for Canadian families. While Canadians can decide for themselves whether or not they get good value for their tax dollars, they should understand how much they pay in taxes each year.” - Jake Fuss, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute on the overall tax burden on Canadian families continuing to rise.
Word of the Week
Suppression - the restraint or repression of an idea, activity, or reaction by something more powerful.
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Show Data
- Episode Title: Suppressing Success
- Teaser: A senator looks at lowering Canada’s voting age, the average Canadian family pays 42.3% of income on tax, and a couple former MLAs join the Alberta Party. Also, several Quebec corporations sue the federal government over TFW changes.
- Production Code: WC-428-2025-07-26
- Recorded Date: July 26, 2025
- Release Date: July 27, 2025
- Duration: 1:01:03
- Edit Notes: None
Podcast Summary Notes
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