When he isn’t chilling with celebs in his smoke-filled bachelor pad of disappointment, Invoice Maher is busy internet hosting his HBO panel present Actual Time, which frequently options editorials and “new guidelines” which might be fortunately not legally-binding. This week, Maher’s newest attention-grabbing effort to set off the web took on a complete nation: Canada.
Maher started his rant by claiming that Canada will not be the socialist, Timbit-filled paradise that some People may imagine. And he’s proper. However then he went on to recommend that Canada’s “excessive wokeness” is a “cautionary story” for the U.S., as a result of “sure, you’ll be able to transfer too far left.” Judging from the net response, the section was an enormous hit with individuals who have made “Fuck Trudeau” bumper stickers their complete identification.
However talking as a resident of America’s Hat, I might argue that Maher is as incorrect concerning the Nice White North, beginning with the truth that present Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t some bastion of left-wing politics. In Canada’s parliamentary system, Trudeau’s Liberal celebration is extra centrist than leftist, with different main events occupying the extra progressive sphere of Canada’s political panorama. So Maher inferring that Trudeau is an instance of a woke authorities chief is just a little like suggesting that half-frozen hen parm made by a suburban Olive Backyard is an instance of genuine Italian delicacies.
Maher smugly criticized Canada’s ballooning inhabitants development, which elevated by 1.3 million individuals in 2023. He stated this may be the “equal of the U.S. including 11 million migrants in a single yr.” Sorry Invoice, this can be a false equivalency. The precise supply of the knowledge Maher cited, Statistics Canada, famous that almost all of those numbers have been made up of “non permanent immigrants … together with many staff and worldwide college students.” If the numbers solely mirrored “everlasting immigration and pure enhance” the quantity “would have been nearly 3 times much less.” (I understand this can be a lot of information to throw at you, however keep in mind, it’s all within the service of creating Invoice Maher appear to be an fool).
Maher then implied that the inflow of migrants straight led to the present housing disaster, which is “even worse” than America’s. However this has been an issue for a long-ass time. Within the Eighties and Nineties, the Canadian authorities “started pulling again from the enterprise of reasonably priced housing,” because of the Conservatives, and shortly after, the Liberals. Housing costs elevated by 59 p.c throughout Trudeau’s time as prime minister, however they elevated by 60 p.c whereas his Conservative predecessor was in energy.
However clearly the issue is wokeness, a minimum of in accordance with the star of Pizza Man.
Maher additionally talked about that Canada has the “highest family debt as a share of GDP within the G7” whereas additionally claiming that he doesn’t really know what meaning, nevertheless it “sounds dangerous.” Properly, it’s dangerous. It signifies that Canada “has the very best stage of family debt to disposable revenue of any G7 nation.” However this is because of mortgage prices and excessive rents, that are stopping “center to low revenue” renters from really saving cash.
Lease is skyrocketing because of rising rates of interest and grasping landlords. In Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, the Conservative authorities (headed by notorious Toronto crack Mayor Rob Ford’s brother Doug) scrapped hire management for models constructed after 2018. This was allegedly achieved to “incentivize builders,” however as a substitute, it led to quite a lot of horror tales through which tenants’ lives have been upended by unaffordable three-figure hire will increase, together with one couple whose hire for a two-bedroom apartment went up by an extra “$7,000 a month.” It’s not like they struck an oil effectively in the lounge, the owner simply randomly jacked up the value.
And any argument that these absurd costs are on account of overcrowding brought on by immigration doesn’t precisely maintain maple syrup, seeing as a staggering variety of condos in cities like Toronto and Vancouver sit empty whereas builders are content material to attend for consumers to fulfill their excessive asking costs.
As for Maher’s criticisms of the Canadian common health-care system, he’s not incorrect, it’s riddled with issues and lengthy wait occasions. However contemplating that the U.S. experiences tens of 1000’s of deaths annually on account of an absence of entry to well being care, and a surprising 13 p.c of People know somebody who has died as a result of “they couldn’t afford well being care,” Canada hardly looks as if a “cautionary story” for the U.S.
It’s nearly as if Invoice Maher doesn’t know what the hell he’s speaking about? Subsequent factor , we’ll discover out he’s incorrect about different topics, like virology.
You (sure, you) ought to comply with JM on Twitter (if it nonetheless exists by the point you’re studying this).
