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According to a recent Mainstreet Research poll, 56% of Canadians believe the election will result in a minority government. Since one or both of the two smaller parties may share power in a coalition government, it’s prudent to examine what they may demand as the price for their support.

Trudeau leans farther left than any Prime Minister since his father. So he might not need a huge push to double down on his current tax and spending spree, costly and ineffective climate initiatives and treating Canada’s energy industry as road kill.

Singh would drastically expand health care to include pharmacare and mental, dental, eye and hearing coverage. He supports free post-secondary education. He promises carbon-free electricity by 2030 and federal incentives for zero-emissions automobiles and opposes the Trans Mountain pipeline. He proposes a basic income pilot project and construction of more low-cost and co-operative housing.

And the list goes on, yet Singh refuses to disclose the cost of his lavish programs. Either he does not know or he is afraid to say how prohibitive the cost would be.

To help defray costs, Singh would hike corporate taxes and introduce a wealth tax starting at $20 million, at least at first. While gratifying to socialists, taxing job-creating businesses and soaking the rich invariably brings in less tax revenue than expected and has a negative impact on job creation and economic growth.

For its part, the Green Party would “virtually eliminate fossil fuel use in Canada by mid-century,” while saying no to nuclear power, which is unachievable without causing economic devastation. It would also end thermal coal exports and block the Trans Mountain expansion and every other oil pipeline. This would sound the death knell for Canada’s energy industry and so alienate the West that Alberta’s separation would become a real threat.