If Justin Trudeau had called the press in 2019 to announce that he wanted to increase the federal civil service by 30% in two years, everyone would have thought it absurd. We would have complained about bad management, we would have denounced this cost explosion.
You know what ? He did it and no one is offended. In fact, few people have noticed. To find out, you had to heed a stern report presented this week by the Parliamentary Budget Officer in Ottawa.
The findings there are devastating. In fact, the cost of managing government in Canada increased by 32.5% between 2019 and 2021. Federal public service and procurement cost $116 billion in 2021-2022, compared to $87.5 billion in 2019-2020. Almost $30 billion more.
To be clear: We do not include the aid payments to the population in this total. This report by the budget director is strictly limited to the operating expenses of the state, to the bureaucracy. How much does the federal public service cost us? How many officers work there?
state obesity
From this point of view, the observed increase is unthinkable. The pandemic explains part of that. But once the pandemic is over, everything indicates that the temporary will become permanent. There is every reason to believe that the hiring made in the name of the pandemic emergency will result in a permanent enlargement of the state.
The most amazing thing is that in these months, in which the size of Canada’s public administration has visibly grown, we have never seen so many efficiency problems in the delivery of services. Do I need to remind our memories of the passport crisis?
Similar overcrowding problems are observed in labor insurance. When it comes to immigration, the delays have become ridiculous. The machine is bigger and costs more, but the results are far from guaranteed!
incompetence
If we read the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s report and draw the parallel with what is happening on the ground, one conclusion is obvious. Canada is damn mismanaged. Such a badly managed private company would go to the slaughterhouse.
Obviously Justin Trudeau can’t take care of everything. He’s not the one doing the hiring in the departments. However, he has the following responsibilities: he doesn’t care about expenses, and since he is the big boss, his mental attitude is eventually reflected in the entire administration.
On behalf of all frustrated taxpayers, I repeat my refrain. When a government cuts public spending, even by a tiny percentage, it causes a stir. Debates in the media, noisy demonstrations, the case is treated as a radical gesture.
But when it comes to increasing the state, by 10%, 20% or even 30%, that is never treated as radicalism… This unconscious bias rewards bad management.
