Canada's GDP Per capita is now $10,000 lower than Mississipi, the poorest state in the U.S. Canada-$56K/year. Mississipi-$66K/year.

Our GDP per capita was competitive with the U.S. until 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZX8ZbLGhl4

Quote from: Brent on February 21, 2026, 12:35:54 PMDo you mean Mexico exports more to the States than us or imports more from the States than us?

They import more. They will soon export more to the US than us too.

Quote from: DKG on February 21, 2026, 06:16:36 AMMexico has surpassed Canada as the top destination for US exports.

Do you mean Mexico exports more to the States than us or imports more from the States than us?

Mexico has surpassed Canada as the top destination for US exports.

Canadian cities are a mess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6NBVld0C58

The answer is obvious: the average liberal supporter is smarter than everyone else.  Smarter than the Bank of Canada that just warned the government of impending recession, smarter than the Parliamentary Budget Office that just warned the government and the country that we as a nation are headed off a cliff, smarter than all the rest of us who have been questioning the government and their policies.  No, it is clear, the average Liebral is smarter than everyone.   
Now go wipe the drool off your faces and change your diapers. There may be a snap "smart test" coming soon for all those "smart" peoples.

Harper (2006–2015): Grew slowly but steadily — about 0.5% per year on average.
Trudeau/Carney (2015–now): Almost no real growth per person — only 0.3% average, and it's been shrinking in many recent years. Most Canadians are poorer per person now than they should be.

Crime (especially violent crime like assaults & robberies):
Harper years: Crime was dropping year after year.
Trudeau/Carney years: Violent crime jumped 34–50% since 2015. Homicides went from 1.5 to around 2 per 100,000 people. Streets feel less safe in many cities.

Drugs (opioid deaths & addiction crisis):
Harper years: The opioid problem was small and contained.
Trudeau/Carney years: Explosion — over 50,000+ opioid deaths since 2016 (20+ people dying every day at the worst points). Still very high even in 2025–2026.

Homelessness:
Harper years: Numbers were stable — didn't explode.
Trudeau/Carney years: Shot up big time — up 20% nationally since 2018, chronic homelessness up 38%, people sleeping outside up over 300% in some counts. Encampments everywhere despite billions spent.

Inflation (how much prices rise for food, gas, rent, etc.):
Harper years: Prices rose slowly and stayed manageable (about 18% total increase over his decade for basics).
Trudeau/Carney years: Much worse — food prices up over 50%, groceries costing families hundreds more per year, big spikes in 2022 (6.8%). Even now in 2025–2026, food inflation stays high compared to other countries.

Bottom line for everyday Canadians:
Under Harper things felt more stable — wages kept up better, crime was lower, fewer people on the streets or dying from drugs, and groceries didn't hurt the wallet as much.
Under the Liberals (Trudeau then Carney), most of these problems got a lot worse for regular families. Facts from StatsCan and health reports — no spin! ✊
The simple facts are when you compare the previous consevative government to the past eleven years of failed liberal policies, the evidence is abundant.

Affordability crisis: Escalated prices for essentials.

Deficit spending failure: Did not boost incomes.

National unity weakening: Federal intrusions into provinces.

Ethics violations: Repeated breaches eroded trust.

SNC-Lavalin scandal: Destabilized government.

Blaming foreign governments for these failures is ludicrous.  Blaming, the opposition government that has not been in power for 11 years is also ludicrous. These failures are a result of poor policies from the liberals from the past 11 years.  There is no economic rebound from Carney that is implementing the same policies and carrying on with Trudeau era failed ministers shuffled into different positions that they can fail in.

Electoral reform failure: Promised but not delivered except for Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh, expanding Pierre Polliever's riding into sixty percent liberal dominated territory, leading to his first loss since he won that riding over twenty years ago.  A convenient talking point neglecting the boundary change of his riding.  That was the liberal's idea of election reform.

Infrastructure bank flop: Did not deliver market solutions.

Progressive tax shortfalls: System not made more equitable.

Housing financialization: Unchallenged, leading to skyrocketing rents.

Voter exhaustion: Liberals at historic lows among youth.

Gun control frustrations: Ineffectively targeted law-abiding owners.

Health-care lag: Ranked below European peers, with chronic understaffing.

Justice system delays: Grown expensive and slow due to understaffing.

Food insecurity rise: Driven by inflation and policy failures.

Indigenous boil water advisories: Still 31 active in 2024, despite promises.

Carbon tax ineffectiveness: Emissions rose despite policies constraining the energy sector.

Immigration strains: Surge overwhelmed housing and services, leading to rollbacks.

Pandemic support inflation: Overgenerous programs contributed to price surges.

Defense shortfalls: Failed NATO commitments, with equipment issues.

Foreign interference inaction: Inadequate response to meddling.

Deep income poverty rise: From 5.1% in 2022 to 5.5% in 2023.

Average poverty gap widening: Increased to 32.9% below the line in 2023.

Homelessness explosion: Up 20% since 2018 to 34,270, despite $561 million annual spending.

Chronic homelessness growth: Increased 38% since 2018.

Unsheltered homelessness quadrupling: Up 303% from 2018 to 2024.

Ontario homelessness surge: Nearly 85,000 in 2025, up 8% from 2024.

Opioid overdose deaths peak: Over 50,000 since 2016, averaging 20 daily in 2024.
Drug toxicity persistence: 7,146 deaths in 2024, down 17% but still high.

Addiction crisis worsening: Rates rose 184% from 2016 to 2023.

Life expectancy drop: From 81.9 years in 2015 to 81.5 in 2023.  The first drop in mortality in nearly a hundred years.

Quality of life ranking fall: From 9th to 27th globally over the decade.

Youth happiness scores low: Ranked 58th internationally.

Here's a list of 50 key failures in these areas:

Stagnant economic growth: Annual per-person GDP growth averaged just 0.3% under Trudeau, the worst since the Great Depression of any Canadian Government.

Declining GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita fell by 2% from 2020 to 2024, marking a historically epic failure growth period.  The worst in the G7.

Productivity slump: Labour productivity declined 1.2% annually since 2019, reversing pre-pandemic gains.

Rising public debt: Debt expanded alarmingly without strategies for aging population pressures.

Fiscal overspending: Persistent deficits and missed targets post-pandemic, showing fiscal indiscipline.

Business investment drop: Per capita investment in non-residential structures fell 19% from 2015 to 2025.

Inflation surge: Peaked at 6.8% in 2022, eroding purchasing power and quality of life.

Housing crisis escalation: Average home prices rose from $435,036 in 2015 to $713,700 in 2025, worsening affordability.

Cost of living exceedance: Exceeded sustainable levels for most, with groceries up $700 annually by 2024.

Youth unemployment spike: Rose to 19.8% in mid-2024, impacting future economic prospects.

Business insolvencies rise: Up 16.2% nationally, over 40% in Ontario by 2024.  Don't make a mistake by calling Doug Ford a conservative.  He is basically Mark Carney's right hand man now and has completely sold out to liberal policies and has for quite some time.

Violent crime increase: Rates rose 34.9% under Liberals, with CSI up from 70.4 in 2015 to 77.9 in 2024

Homicide rate climb: From 1.5 per 100,000 in 2014 to 1.9 in 2024, despite overall declines in some areas.

Property crime growth: Increased 7% from 2014 to 2022, outpacing U.S. declines.
Urban violent crime surge: Up across nearly all major centres from 2015–2024.
Poverty rebound: Rose from 6.4% in 2020 to 9.9% in 2022, affecting 1.4 million children.078207

Child poverty increase: Climbed to 18.1% in 2022 after pandemic lows, reversing early gains.

Under the Liberal governments led by Justin Trudeau (2015–2025) and his successor Mark Carney (2025–present), who served as Trudeau's key economic advisor during the COVID-19 recovery and chaired the Liberal Party's Task Force on Economic Growth in 2024, Canada has experienced profound fiscal mismanagement and declines in measurable quality of life indicators.

These policies have contributed to rising debt, stagnant productivity, and worsening social issues like crime, poverty, homelessness, and drug addiction.

Quote from: DKG on February 17, 2026, 11:21:16 AMCanadian Restaurants Struggling

A new survey from Restaurants Canada shows that Canadian restaurants are struggling financially, with 26% operating at a loss and another 18% just breaking even.

Rising food and labour costs are the biggest pressures, as inflation affects both restaurant operations and consumer spending.

Owners have had to cut hours, reduce staff, and take on part-time work elsewhere to make ends meet.

Many restaurants plan modest price increases in 2026, but are cautious not to drive away customers who are already cutting back on dining out.

Restaurants Canada suggests federal measures, such as removing GST from all meals, could help support struggling businesses and protect jobs.

I have seen successful restaurant chains close locations in my city.