Ottawa Sun
Published: Saturday, February 19, 2005

Government can run the country -- into the ground

We are a big government town, period. Once you factor in the three orders of government and public sector entities like hospitals, federal foundations, and Crown corporations, almost one in three workers in this city makes their living courtesy of taxpayers. And then there is a raft of associations (including my former employer), think tanks, and lobbyists that also exist because of government.

On paper, government as an instrument to organize around and deliver on societal objectives makes sense. Issues such as national defence, public health in a post SARS world, and the international fight against terrorism are just a few areas of many where government plays a vital role in our lives.

The problem with government is when we move from policy options and objectives on paper to actual delivery in the lives of everyday Canadians. Yes pension and social assistance cheques arrive on time and for the most part, people get their passports before jetting off to the sunny South, but recent broad-scale federal initiatives merit a collective pause.

Take Canada's commitment to the Kyoto protocol. The government has had three years to get a plan ready for the Feb. 15 deadline that just passed. And what did we get? An announcement from the environment minister that the plan is not ready. Even though we're paying Rick Mercer tens of thousands of dollars to tell us to turn our thermostats down and wash in cold water, the feds still don't have a compliance plan.

Now it appears that as much as $6 billion more may be earmarked in the coming budget for Kyoto compliance. This is on top of the roughly $1.5 billion already budgeted to, at best, reduce our CO2 emissions by 20 megatonnes, less than 8% of we will have to accomplish if we are to meet our 2010 Kyoto targets.

Forgive me but this is starting to look like the boondoggle gun registry fiasco, part two. Back in 1995 Bill C-68 was passed and we were told that the costs would net out to $2 million for taxpayers and the plan was "being developed." A decade later, the gun registry bill is approaching $2 billion and the chief of police in Canada's most murderous city has basically labeled the registry as useless.

Which brings us to the anticipation that hockey-legend turned Cabinet Minister Ken Dryden can fashion a National Day Care agreement with the provinces. Estimates put the price tag at $5 billion but already Quebec is balking and Alberta wants no part of the federal babysitting scheme.

To be fair, finding affordable child-care spaces is difficult and it is a crucial decision for young parents to entrust their children to another's care. Yet restricting the program to institutional day cares and not eliminating the tax discrimination between single-income and dual-income families is simply the wrong way to go about it.

These and myriad other examples surely demonstrate that the reach and scope of government to be an enabling force in all sectors of society is mere fantasy.

Imagine if the government ran the grocery store and food distribution system like they do hospitals, there would be shortages of milk tomorrow morning and waiting lists for bread no doubt.

Buying black market Kraft Dinner would violate the Canada Food Act.

Our government tried to run a national airline, that didn't go too well. Ditto for its current foray into rail travel -- and I like the train -- with it being cheaper to fly to Toronto than hop a VIA1 from Ottawa to Union Station. Yet where are the champions in our national, provincial and local political discourse who argue for a greater private sector and community role in public service and program delivery?

Until this changes and we elect leaders willing to try these new approaches, settle in and prepare yourself for the long haul of scandals, scathing auditor general's reports, and squandered billions of your hard-earned tax dollars. And to think, tax season is just around the corner, oh joy, oh bliss.