Canadian Politics Today

Geez Louise.  The Liberals have spent more in COVID handouts than every other country.  Canada is #1 in government deficit as % of GDP, and #1 in real household disposable income per capita. (graphs in article)  

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ottawa-is-not-only-shouldering-the-potential-debts-of-canadians-it/

"Ottawa gives households $7 for every dollar of income lost in private sector

...But Ottawa continues to dramatically overshoot that mark, with household income data released Tuesday showing that the emergency support programs rolled out to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus have outstripped the loss in earnings since the end of March. Ottawa is not only shouldering the potential debts of Canadians – it has borrowed tens of billions of dollars to pad their bank accounts.

Statistics Canada data show that primary household income, or private-sector earnings, barely dropped between the first quarter of 2020 and third quarter, falling by just 1 per cent, or $15.2-billion to $1.52-trillion. But transfers from government, which include existing programs such as employment insurance plus new coronavirus-era programs, made up for that drop many times over. Those transfers rose by $103.8-billion from the first quarter to the third quarter, meaning that the government effectively gave households nearly $7 for each dollar of lost private-sector income. Those figures are seasonally adjusted and stated on an annualized basis.

Once other costs are taken into account, household disposable income rose 7.6 per cent between the first and third quarters, while edging down slightly from the second quarter, when the imbalance between income losses and government transfers was even greater. Canada is virtually alone in seeing such a spike in household income, with only the United States coming close to matching that surge. (Both countries placed much more emphasis on sending funds to individuals rather than the wage subsidies that were the policy focus in other advanced economies.)
...
For some economists, the extra billions of dollars sent to households is proof that the new income support programs are simply too generous, and exceed the goal of protecting Canadians from an economic catastrophe. “We probably went overboard with too much spending,” said Jack Mintz, president’s fellow at the school of public policy at the University of Calgary.
...
Mr. Mintz said the excess in payments likely stems from the structure of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which paid a flat $500 to qualifying recipients, no matter what their employment income was. That meant low-paid workers, especially those with part-time jobs, could see their incomes rise."