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How does Justin Trudeau get away with it?

I try not to play the bitter former partisan, I really do, but the recent Liberal budget and subsequent adventures in Parliamentary reform have produced some bile.

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Before we begin, let’s take a jaunt down memory lane.

Justin Trudeau’s win was sparked by three differences with Stephen Harper’s status quo: modest deficits to boost the economy; more open and accountable government; and a more positive spirit.

Sure, there were other things people liked about Trudeau (pot! electoral reform!), but it was essentially the warmth and openness of Mr. Trudeau that was to be the tonic to Stephen Harper’s dour Canada.

How’s that view holding up?

The second Liberal budget has put paid to Mr. Trudeau’s promise of modest deficits.

Canada now has bulging deficits as far as the budgetary eye can see, with no plan to eliminate them. If only someone — Mr. Harper, perhaps? — had warned of this, future generations might have been spared a lifetime of debt service.