The NDP leader will break the back of taxpayers as she plans to welcome all illegal immigrants by turning Ontario into a `Sanctuary Province’
There is a saying in the Gujarati language which translates as follows: “Throwing a feast for the pastor, when one’s family members are starving.”
The spate of virtue-signaling policies and announcements by several political leaders in the West regarding migration of illegals brings this saying to mind.
The most famous example of this is, of course, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but we have several such politicians closer to home as well. Our own Prime Minister, Mr. Justin Trudeau, in an act of impetuous immaturity, tweeted an invitation to illegal migrants that, in effect, amounted to the abrogation of the existing rules and systems relating to the processing of refugee claims.
Other politicians at the city level also jumped on the bandwagon, notably Toronto Mayor John Tory. They declared their cities as ‘Sanctuary Cities’, where illegal entrants to Canada would not be reported to the authorities, and where various government services and facilities would be available to them for free.
None of these politicians gave even a passing thought to the consequences of their stance, including financial costs and demands on infrastructure. Now, Mr. Tory is pleading with the federal government for assistance in this regard. The latter, already overwhelmed by the massive influx of illegals from the US, hardly has the time or the resources to respond.
At the provincial level, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, going one step further, asked the Liberal government to declare the entire province as a ‘Sanctuary Province’. She has since made this a part of her election platform. Given her strong position in opinion polls, her promise has to be taken very seriously; it could very well become official policy of the province.
The question that should have been asked of her, but hasn’t been, is this: If both the federal government and the city administrations are unable to cope with the demands on resources placed by illegals, then how does she expect to cope with similar demands at the provincial level?
It is worth noting here that her 100-page long election platform does not factor in any costs associated with declaring Ontario as a ‘Sanctuary Province’. The NDP and Ms. Horwath, claim that their platform is fully costed, however, this significant promise – and financial commitment – appears nowhere in the estimates of expenditures. Even without this provision, the NDP has promised to deliver consecutive deficits for the next five years. Of course, governments deal with the gap between its revenue and its expenditures (i.e. the deficit) by borrowing.
If a government led by the NDP will be borrowing money to meet its existing expenditures already, where will the additional funding that will be required by being a ‘Sanctuary Province’ come from? It is easy to guess the correct answer – by more borrowing, or increased taxes. Will this be a politically sustainable policy? Let’s look at what is happening elsewhere in Canada for the answer.
Prime Minister Trudeau has already started backtracking on his open invitation to illegals to enter Canada. This is evident by his recent messages to the effect that not everyone will qualify for a refugee status in Canada. Insofar as these messages have gone unheeded, we must classify them as feeble. He has also had to resort to sending various government officials, including Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussain, to various countries to stem the flow of illegals into Canada. And, as noted, above, Toronto Mayor John Tory is already issuing pleas for help to cope with the demands placed on the city by the illegals.
But judging from her continuing stance on the issue, Ms. Horwath apparently does not see how various levels of government in Canada are inundated by the consequences of the misguided policy of letting anyone into the country or city regardless of eligibility, and with zero regard for the laws and regulations in place. She seems determined to plow ahead on the path to disaster.
It is easy to undertake expensive charitable actions when someone else is paying the cost. The very foundation of government spending rests on ‘Other People’s Money’. When a government resorts to borrowing, the ‘Other People’ include future taxpayers, including those who are as yet unborn. So any virtue-signaling by politicians in power, that has financial implications, necessarily places an onerous, unnecessary and ultimately ill-advised burden on the taxpayers (including future taxpayers). These taxpayers are the people who are already struggling under heavy taxation, and in a difficult economy. Yet, they will be asked to fork out even more of their hard-earned incomes, just so the politicians can feel good about themselves.
If Ms. Horwath succeeds in winning the election, we may be entering a financially ruinous period for the province of Ontario.
(These are the personal views of the author)
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