Editor:
Re: MP excited new portfolio can make a big impact, Nov. 28
The article brought into sharp focus two points for serious consideration by not only Deltans but also by all Canadians.
First, the comment, “The 36-member cabinet … .” and second, a comparison between the size, that is number of participants, of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal cabinet compared to any one of several other somewhat democratic countries is cause for reflection.
Australia with a population of 25.5 million manages to get by with a cabinet of 20 while the United Kingdom with 66 million citizens is governed by a cabinet of 23 – and then compare those numbers to Canada’s 37 million citizens and a bloated cabinet of 36 plus Trudeau for a total of 37.
One might suppose that Trudeau in his inability to recognize fiscal reality, feels that Canada needs one cabinet minister for each one million citizens – a sort of Trudeau idea of equality.
South of Canada, the U.S. manages to conduct the business of its population of 327 million with a cabinet of a meagre 15 members.
Realize, too, that each ministry – all 37 of them – require a bureaucracy to support it and that each of those requires millions of taxpayers’ dollars to pay for whatever it is the ministry is supposed to do.
As for support, all Canadians know of how Veterans Affairs Canada “supports” veterans; a prime example is the year-long “fight” one veteran has had in her quest to receive funding for a prosthetic leg.
So, yes, applaud Delta’s MP but while so doing, know that she and her ministry are costing Canadians a hefty sum. The question then becomes, as it has with Veterans Affairs Canada, is the expenditure of so much money worth the end result? Often the answer is a resounding no.
Bob Orrick, CD
