Canada's Fiscal Fall

Where news meets rational thinking

Good morning, It’s Thursday, May 22nd. In today’s news, Canada’s economy has underperformed nearly every advanced nation since 2014, an entire generation of children has been betrayed, the Infinity Gauntlet feels more realistic than is comfortable to admit, U.S. health officials buried key data on mRNA vaccine heart risks, and much more.

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Canada’s Global Fiscal Fall from Grace: The Hidden Cost of Big Government

Over the past decade, Canada has quietly undergone one of the steepest fiscal declines among advanced economies—and almost no one is talking about it.

A new report from the Fraser Institute reveals that from 2014 to 2024, Canada saw the second-largest increase in government spending relative to its economy, and the third-largest increase in gross debt across 40 advanced countries. Among G7 nations, Canada ranked dead last on both fronts.

In 2014, Canada’s total government spending made up 38.4% of GDP—below the international average. Today, it has ballooned to 44.7%, overtaking the UK and Japan. Debt tells the same story: from 85.5% of GDP in 2014 to a staggering 110.8% in 2024. That’s not just unsustainable—it’s economically dangerous.

Why does this matter? Because once a country surpasses the 100% debt-to-GDP threshold, research shows it enters a zone of long-term economic drag. Borrowing becomes more expensive, investment slows, taxes rise, and growth stalls. Canada now stands well past that line, even as 20 other advanced nations managed to reduce their debt burdens over the same decade.

During COVID-19, Canada spent more than any other country relative to GDP in 2020—and wasted at least 25% of it. An estimated $89.9 billion of COVID spending was inefficient, going to ineligible recipients or exceeding required levels. Meanwhile, economic performance lagged behind nations that spent less.

This isn't just a Liberal problem—it’s a systemic one. But the Trudeau government abandoned the previous era’s fiscal discipline and embraced runaway deficits as normal. Prime Minister Mark Carney, poised to continue this trajectory, has already surrounded himself with advisors advocating a 100-million population growth plan, which would demand even greater public spending.

Canadians are now stuck with a bloated state and a debt bill that future generations will struggle to repay. And for what? Sluggish growth, rising taxes, and declining living standards.

If we want a future of economic vitality and opportunity, we must first reckon with a hard truth: the bigger the government, the smaller your wallet.

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A Generation Betrayed: Clergy Abuse, MAiD for Minors, and the Price of Silence

A Quebec law firm has secured a $15-million settlement for 70 victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Longueuil and St-Hyacinthe dioceses near Montreal. Pending court approval this September, the victims—many of whom suffered in silence for decades—are expected to receive compensation after legal fees are deducted. The lawsuits, filed in 2019 and 2021, are yet another chapter in the Catholic Church’s long, disgraceful history of shielding abusers and betraying the most vulnerable.

What I find extremely disturbing in its own way is that this wasn’t a lapse in oversight—it was a systemic, calculated cover-up. Institutions tasked with moral leadership enabled the rape and abuse of children, then buried the truth for decades. These dioceses, like countless others across Canada and the US, prioritized reputation over justice, cloaking predators in sanctimony while victims lived in shame and silence. The payout, while a small measure of justice, can never undo the damage.

And this is not an isolated case. In 2021, the Archdiocese of St. John’s in Newfoundland reached a $13 million settlement over the infamous Mount Cashel Orphanage abuse. In the US, the Diocese of Buffalo agreed to a $150 million settlement in April 2025 for over 800 victims. Just weeks ago, Los Angeles County approved a $4 billion payout for 7,000 victims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities. The common thread? Institutions—religious and secular—are failing children, then throwing money at the aftermath instead of facing accountability.

In the US alone, over 16,000 credible allegations of clergy abuse have surfaced since the early 2000s, with billions paid in settlements. And yet, the abuse continues. The 2002 Boston Globe exposé may have sparked a global reckoning, but recent scandals—including allegations against Pope Leo XIV for mishandling abuse cases—prove that institutional rot remains entrenched.

And now, Canada is flirting with a new failure: expanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to include minors. Under proposed frameworks gaining traction in 2025, “mature minors” may soon be eligible for state-assisted death—even in cases of mental illness and potentially without parental consent. What began as a compassionate option for the terminally ill is morphing into something darker. We are on the brink of telling suffering children that death is a valid solution—and the state is ready to help them carry it out.

Protecting children is arguably the most sacred responsibility of any society, yet this generation of adults and institutions is failing spectacularly. The Longueuil and St-Hyacinthe settlements are just one piece of a broader tapestry of negligence, where systemic abuse is met with payouts rather than structural reform. The Catholic Church’s ongoing scandals, coupled with policies like MAiD for minors, reflect a deeper cultural malaise: we’re prioritizing institutional preservation and ideological trends over the well-being of the young.

This isn’t just a failure—it’s a moral abdication. We’re teaching the next generation that their safety, their voices, and even their right to live are negotiable. If we can’t protect our kids from predators or preserve their hope in the face of suffering, we’re not just letting them down—we’re abandoning the very future we’re supposed to nurture.

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Six Stones of Tyranny: The Architecture of Modern Totalitarianism

The Marvel movies may be fictional, but the story they told—before the franchise was consumed by ideology—resonated because it reflected something true. Avengers: Infinity War wasn’t just entertainment; it was a cultural moment. In it, Thanos assembles six stones, each representing a fundamental force of existence. And with a single snap, he wipes out half the universe—because he believes it’s necessary and compassionate.

Now look at the Western world.

We’re not watching a cosmic villain conquer galaxies. We’re watching once-separate institutions fall into the hands of centralized power. The result isn’t balance—it’s domination. Totalitarianism doesn’t arrive all at once. It creeps in when political, ideological, spiritual, informational, digital, and financial control are fused into a single force.

And just like in the film, once all six stones are gathered, persuasion becomes unnecessary. They don’t need to convince you. They can just snap.

Power Stone = The State
In Marvel: Grants raw strength and destructive force.
In reality: It’s the State—the monopoly on violence. Police, law, military, taxation. The State doesn’t negotiate; it forces.

Mind Stone = Academia
In Marvel: Controls thoughts and consciousness.
In reality: Academia trains the elite, rewrites definitions, and dictates what may be thought or questioned. It doesn’t tell people how to think—it tells them what to think.

Soul Stone = The Church (or Moral Authority)
In Marvel: Governs life, death, and the essence of being.
In reality: The Church—or any institutionalized morality—offers guilt, redemption, and moral legitimacy. When captured, it makes obedience sacred and resistance sinful.

Reality Stone = Media
In Marvel: Alters perception, bends the fabric of what’s real.
In reality: Media doesn’t just report reality—it manufactures it. What is said becomes what is true. What isn’t said might as well not exist.

Space Stone = Big Tech and Surveillance
In Marvel: Allows instantaneous travel, omnipresence.
In reality: Surveillance infrastructure and big tech erase distance. They are everywhere, all the time—watching, recording, anticipating.

Time Stone = Finance
In Marvel: Grants control over time—reversing, accelerating, freezing events.
In reality: Finance governs the future. Through inflation, debt, and monetary manipulation, regimes control whether citizens live in scarcity or plenty.

When centralized, these forces grant someone total control—not just over life and death, but over the illusion of choice in between. Real freedom can’t survive that. No matter how noble the intentions, no one should ever wield them all.

Freedom isn’t safeguarded by virtue—it’s preserved by limits.
Power must remain divided.
Break the gauntlet… or be broken by it.

US Health Officials Suppressed mRNA Vaccine Heart Risks

A new interim report from Sen. Ron Johnson’s office alleges that top US federal health officials deliberately delayed warning the public about the risks of heart-related side effects—such as myocarditis and pericarditis—linked to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Despite early warnings beginning in February 2021, agencies like the CDC and FDA waited until late June to update vaccine labels.

The report claims internal deliberations focused more on avoiding alarm than on transparency, while doctors who raised early concerns were censored or discredited. It also highlights that officials received warnings from Israeli health authorities and US defense contractors well before any public advisories were issued.

Even as vaccine-related heart inflammation reports rose—from 158 cases in April to 752 by late June—health officials opted for minimal communication, describing the risk as "rare." The full report accuses the Biden administration of prioritizing narrative control over public health and calls for full accountability and transparency. More

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Following the 'Most Consequential Election,' Carney Takes an Extended Summer Vacation

So much for “elbows up.” Mark Carney called this the most consequential election of our lifetime—then gave himself a three-month summer break. Parliament will go on break on June 20th and won’t sit again until mid-September, meaning MPs will have worked just 20 days in the first eight and a half months of the year. No budget. No legislation. No urgency. While Trump is rewriting trade policy by executive order, Carney’s out flipping pancakes at the Stampede and glad-handing at PEI strawberry socials. For a guy who claimed Canada was in crisis, he sure is governing like it’s cottage season. More

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US Intelligence Suggests Israel is Preparing to Strike Iran's Nuclear Facilities - More

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German Police Arrest Five Teenagers in Domestic Terrorism Raid - The group planned and carried out arson attacks on buildings housing asylum seekers. More

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Canada in Talks With US to Join Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome Defence System - More

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‘Diplomatic Tsunami' Nears as Israel 'Completely Rejects' EU Decision to Review Trade and Cooperation Deal - More

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Trump Confronts Ramaphosa Over ‘Afrikaner Genocide’ in Oval Office Meeting - For those who missed it, Trump pulled out a TV mid-interview to confront Ramaphosa over the persecution of white South Africans. More

Fraser Institute: Canada Had Largest Debt Increase Among G7 Nations Over Last Decade

Canada’s government debt and spending have grown faster than almost every other advanced country over the past decade, according to a new Fraser Institute report. Since 2014, Canada’s government spending rose from 38.4% to 44.7% of GDP—the largest increase in the G7—and its debt burden surged by over 25 percentage points, now reaching 110.8% of GDP. While many countries reduced their debt post-pandemic, Canada borrowed the most relative to its economy. The report warns this trend threatens future economic growth and living standards and could mean even higher taxes for Canadians. More

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Canada Pension Plan Investment Board:

• Canada’s Largest Pension Plan Quietly Abandons Net Zero Target - More

• The Canadian Pension Plan has Nearly 50% of its Assets Invested in the US, Despite Call to Invest in Canada - More

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Microsoft Says 394,000 Windows Computers Infected by Very Dangerous Malware Worldwide - The malware is used by malign actors to steal bank account information, credit card data, passwords, and cryptocurrency wallets, the company says. More

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Survey: 90 Percent of US Companies Plan to Reshore Amid Tariffs - Most firms also plan to raise prices as the US tariffs drive broad shifts in supply chains and pricing strategies. More

Scientists Create Clean-Burning Fuel from Batteries and Waste Products

Scientists at Vienna University of Technology have developed a groundbreaking method to turn battery waste and used aluminum foil into nanocatalysts that convert CO₂ into methane—a clean-burning fuel. This upcycling process reduces pollution, recovers valuable metals like nickel, and creates a circular system where materials are reused rather than discarded. The catalysts work efficiently at low temperatures and can even be recycled themselves, offering a powerful new tool for clean energy and sustainable waste management. More

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Teeth First Evolved as Sensory Tissue in the Armored Exoskeletons of Ancient Fish - More

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Plants Produce More Nectar When They ‘Hear’ Bees Buzzing - More

Ontario’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named NBA MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his first NBA MVP award, beating out Nikola Jokić in one of the most hotly debated races in years. Leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the league's best record, SGA was also the NBA’s top scorer, averaging 32.7 points per game while excelling on defense. He received 71 of 100 first-place votes. Despite Jokić’s historic triple-double season and advanced stats, voters favored Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-around dominance and team success. The 26-year-old now joins NBA greats and becomes eligible for a record-breaking $380 million contract. More

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NFL Report: Proposal to Ban Tush Push Doesn't Receive Enough Votes to Pass - More

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Inaugural Enhanced Games Set for May 2026 - A new company hoping to infuse unprecedented levels of science, money, and performance-enhancing drugs into Olympic-style sports says it will hold its first formal competition in May 2026 in Las Vegas. More

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Chris Brown Granted $6.7 Million Bail in UK Nightclub Attack Case to Continue World Tour - More

Flight Passenger Brings a Whole Rotisserie Chicken as Carry-on, Calling it Her 'Designer Bag'—I respect it.

Australian Scientists Find That Mutton Birds Now Have So Much Plastic in Their Stomachs They Clack and Crunch Under Pressure

On This Day in 1939, Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini sign the "Pact of Steel," formalizing the 1936 alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis

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