The happy occasion: the official announcement of the single largest transfer of public dollars to a private business in Canadian history. Such was the scene on Friday in St. Thomas, a small town just outside of London, Ont., where Canadians were finally told just how much a much-hyped historic “investment” was going to cost them: $13 billion. You read that right: Canadian governments are giving Volkswagen $13 billion to build a $7 billion plant. It’s the kind of bold leadership you can only get from sophisticated economic experts like Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford. A federal government that deploys subsidies as its primary economic tool is not showing “confidence” in the innovation or perseverance of Canadian business or workers.

Source: National Post April 22, 2023 09:24 UTC