At The Trough

A searing critique of Canada’s long-standing reliance on corporate subsidies. From the railroad excesses of the nineteenth century to the Trudeau government’s record-breaking payouts to profitable multi-nationals such as Volkswagen and Stellantis, journalist and policy analyst Laurent Carbonneau demonstrates how Canadian governments of all stripes repeatedly prioritize short-term politics and corporate lobbying over long-term public welfare. Year after year, federal and provincial politicians write huge cheques to private enterprise in the name of industrial strategy. Year after year, these generous grants and tax breaks enrich corporate shareholders (often foreign) while doing next to nothing to enhance economic development. It is an appalling misuse of public money at a time when Canadians, who pay for this largesse through their taxes, are grappling with unaffordable housing, over-stretched healthcare and childcare services, and stagnating wages. With humour and shrewd analysis, Carbonneau issues a timely call to action, urging Canadians to demand a fairer, more prosperous economy designed for the public good, not corporate interests.