John Robson: Parliament Should Use Its Power to Rein In the Government’s Feckless Spending

Commentary When I read that “Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says pharmacare will not jeopardize Canada’s fiscal standing as the federal government intends to abide by the spending rules it pledged in the fall” I did three things at once: laughed hysterically, wept uncontrollably, and reached for our constitutional separation of powers. No, really. Somehow it passes for wisdom in Canada to mock American political institutions, which admittedly aren’t working well today. But our Constitution modelled on Britain’s clearly provides for the same separation America’s Founders also borrowed while seeking to make it more durable. And unlike theirs, ours has withered to the point that our real problem isn’t who we invest with executive authority, it’s the unchecked nature of that authority....