Article content continued

Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has done all of his spending on the back of an already-growing economy, with absolutely no plan to get it back under control. He could have paired his largesse with cuts to areas of government spending he doesn’t support, but as the recent spending review proves, the Liberals find all spending essential. And when Trudeau finally did show some backbone and canned funding for blind readers (an odd choice, but fine), the decision was quickly abandoned after the first critical media story.

Having been on the sharp end of communicating $5 billion in government cuts, I know how hard it is to hold your nerve and deliver. First you have to overcome the bureaucracy, who prefer to volunteer high-profile programs for cuts over the hard work of trimming the fat that marbles their domains. Then you have to overcome the objections of outside groups who have come to rely on that funding, most of whom know how to kick up a good media fuss.

Stephen Harper at least had the benefit of not wanting the electoral support tied to government spending. Trudeau faces the opposite problem: Each cut will feel like betrayal to the people he needs to support him in the next election.

The Liberals will instead argue the current level of spending is sustainable when set against the backdrop of a growing economy. A yearly deficit that’s a half a per cent of overall government spending isn’t exactly a millstone around the nation’s neck, etc. But what if Trump chokes off more trade and sparks a global trade war? Or the record $1.8 trillion in Canadian household debt is made heavier by interest rate hikes?

It’s that last one Trudeau will be watching most closely. Voters care more about the state of government finances when their own are stretched. If it gets painful around the dinner table, Trudeau could soon find himself without other people’s money to spend.

—

Andrew MacDougall is a London-based communications consultant and ex-director of communications to former prime minister Stephen Harper.