Here’s why young Canadians are pessimistic about the federal government

A new poll shows that the share of Canadians feeling pessimistic about the federal government has reached a new high. This should come as no surprise. Years of poor policy has left Canadians with a stagnant economy and declining living standards. And despite the Trudeau government’s recent focus on younger generations, young people appear the most pessimistic of all.

According to the poll conducted by Nanos, 39.8 per cent of Canadians feel “pessimism” towards the federal government—representing a seven-year high. On the flip side, 7.6 per cent feel “satisfaction,” a seven-year low.

More broadly, 68.7 per cent of respondents reported negative feelings (“anger” or “pessimism”) towards the federal government while just 16.3 per cent reported positive feelings (“optimism” or “satisfaction”). The remaining 15.0 per cent either weren’t sure or were simply disinterested.

Again, it’s not surprising that the majority of Canadians report negative feelings about Ottawa, in light of the Trudeau government’s fiscal and economic mismanagement.

For example, due to record-high spending, the Trudeau government will run its tenth-consecutive budget deficit in 2024/25 at a projected $39.8 billion. These deficits have contributed to a remarkable rise in federal government debt since Prime Minister Trudeau first took office. From 2014/15 (the Harper government’s last full year) to 2024/25, federal gross debt is expected to have approximately doubled to $2.1 trillion. And the Trudeau government has no plans to change course. Deficits are expected to continue until at least 2028/29, and projections suggest gross debt will increase an additional $400.1 billion over the same period.

What have Canadians gained from all this spending and debt?

Through the implementation of sweeping programs such as $10-a-day daycare and national dental care, the Trudeau government has expanded its role in the lives of Canadians. But because the government has chosen to use taxpayer dollars to provide services that were already offered privately, many Canadians have less choice of how to best to use their hard-earned money due to the imposition of higher taxes. Indeed, 86 per cent of middle-income families now pay more in taxes than they did in 2015, adding to the cost of living.

At the same time, Ottawa and some provinces have spent tens of billions on corporate welfare with the promise that it will promote economic growth. But over the last decade the economy has posted its worst performance since the 1930s, and Canadian living standards have been in a historic decline since mid-2019.

Finally, the burden of government debt and poor economic prospects may be why younger generations are feeling the most pessimistic. Indeed, among survey respondents aged 18 to 34, 41.3 per cent were “pessimistic” about the federal government while just 5.3 per cent were “satisfied” (the largest and smallest shares, respectively, relative to all other age groups). Despite the Trudeau government’s rhetoric about “generational fairness,” younger generations face a disproportionately higher tax burden in the future due to debt accumulated today. Meanwhile, according to long-term projections, Canadian living standards will fall further behind comparable countries (including the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom) over the coming decades.

Canadians are worse off today than they were 10 years ago, and should expect higher taxes and relatively little improvement in their living standards in coming years due to poor government policy. Is it any wonder they’re feeling pessimistic?