EDITORIAL: Haunted by the ‘lost decade’

The ten years this country was led by former prime minister Justin Trudeau were littered with failed experiments that still haunt Canada today

Published Sep 04, 2026  •  Last updated 25 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media after a meeting with the President and CEO of The National Association of Manufacturers Jay Timmons in Washington on Jan. 9, 2025. Photo by Jose Luis Magana /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

There’s a reason why observers call the ten years this country was led by former prime minister Justin Trudeau the “lost decade.” His tenure as PM is littered with failed experiments that haunt us today.

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Prior to becoming prime minister in 2015, Trudeau airily proclaimed “the budget would balance itself.” Instead, his government racked up soaring deficits with lavish programs that pushed this country massively into debt.

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His heavy-handed implementation of the Emergencies Act in 2022 was ruled unlawful by a Federal court, a decision subsequently upheld in a unanimous decision by the Federal Court of Appeal.

His government’s failure to effectively address anti-semitism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel was also troubling.

But his policies around immigration are the ones that have caused the most long-lasting grief. Prior to his ham-fisted implementation of new policies, this country had a sensible and well-controlled approach to immigration. Then Trudeau opened the floodgates.

He ramped up immigration to levels never seen before in this country. By 2025, half a million newcomers a year were arriving, creating a housing crisis and putting unprecedented pressure on our healthcare system and other social services.

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‘We didn’t get the balance quite right’

Finally, in 2024 he admitted what most sensible people were saying: “We didn’t get the balance quite right.”

The massive increase was caused mostly by the temporary workers program and student visas. Prime Minister Mark Carney has now slowed that down by 70% over the 2024 number.

Our healthcare system is creaking under Trudeau’s mistakes. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) the cost of the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) soared from $210 million a year in 2021-2022 to $896 million in 2024-25.

The program was supposed to provide temporary health care to refugees and asylum seekers. Instead, it became an entrenched hand-out. The PBO reported the average duration of the coverage for the fiscal year 2024-25 was four years. It was reported 74,000 failed asylum claimants are accessing the program instead of being deported.

Carney announced cuts to the program earlier this year, then later walked them back.

Immigration to this country is an honour and a privilege. You come here, work hard and give back. You don’t take advantage of the country that opened its arms to you.

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