Will the Trudeau Liberals legalize gambling on single-game sporting events in Canada? Or will they continue to oppose such a change? And if they do, what will it mean for the economy, jobs, and tax revenue?
00:01:50.020It's March 18th. I'm David Menzies, and this is The Ezreal Event Show.
00:01:54.480Why should others go to jail when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?
00:02:00.320There's 8,500 customers here, and you won't give them an answer.
00:02:04.400The only thing I have to say to the government, the wire publishing, is because it's my bloody right to do so.
00:02:10.260Once upon a time in Canada, there was virtually no such thing as legalized gambling.
00:02:20.360Aside from a church bingo game or the crown and anchor wheel down at the local summer fair,
00:02:25.580or maybe a smuggled-in Irish sweepstakes ticket,
00:02:29.400it was slim pickings for those who like to wager unless you are heavily invested into horse racing.
00:02:34.900If one wanted to gamble, at least legally, doing so meant purchasing a plane ticket to Las Vegas.
00:02:42.080Today, the gambling landscape is radically different.
00:02:45.940From lotto tickets and table games to slot machines and daily lotteries,
00:02:50.920one is free to squander one's money with the complete approval of the government.
00:02:55.540Actually, the government is both the house and the bookmaker.
00:02:59.720But as much as Canada has morphed into Las Vegas North, there is a notable exemption.
00:03:05.920I speak of wagering on sports matches.
00:03:08.820Oh sure, for more than 20 years now, this has been facilitated by the ProLine Provincial Run Lottery.
00:03:16.040But the thing is, a sports bettor must wager on a parlay, meaning he or she has to choose at least three games.
00:03:23.460To this day, wagering on single-game sporting events is illegal.
00:03:27.660Think of how cosmically stupid that is.
00:03:31.500For example, if you wanted to bet on the single biggest game of the entire sports calendar, namely the Super Bowl,
00:03:38.420you couldn't do so via any of the Provincial Lottery corporations.
00:03:43.360Of course, that doesn't prevent Canadians from betting on the Super Bowl.
00:03:47.440It only meant that one had to seek out a bookie or, in my case, open up an account with an offshore betting company such as Bet365.com.
00:03:58.800Who knows how many billions the government has lost out on when it comes to forfeiting single-game wagering.
00:04:06.180But recently, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Videli wrote to Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau asking for an amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada,
00:04:16.100one that would indeed legalize single-game sports wagering in Canada.
00:04:21.240This is a win-win-win on so many fronts, from creating jobs and increasing gambling revenues,
00:04:28.460to attracting American gamblers to Canadian casinos.
00:04:32.480But where do the federal liberals stand on this issue?
00:05:03.840Why are Canadians not adult enough to bet on a single sporting match?
00:05:10.360Or was there something more to the assassination of Bill C-290?
00:05:15.240For example, consider Conservative MP Michael Chong, who used to be Minister of Sport.
00:05:20.480He publicly opposed Bill C-290 because that bill would allegedly hurt children, low-income groups, and people with addictive personalities.
00:05:32.280Plus, it would supposedly ruin the integrity of sports.
00:05:36.780Now, how many paternalistic senators, I wonder, also had similar views?
00:05:41.660But does this rationale pass your sniff test, folks?
00:05:46.080The fact that parlay sports betting protects kids and gambling addicts, whereas single-game wagering will see junior squanderers' candy bar money on Wednesday's Leafs game?
00:05:58.440Oh, by the way, it should be noted that Chong once worked for the National Hockey League Players Association.
00:06:06.140So why do I get this feeling Chong is less concerned about the family milk money being sacrificed and more concerned about his old millionaire cronies being shut out from new gambling revenues?
00:06:19.040Bottom line, like it or not, when it comes to the gambling business in Canada, the government is already the biggest pimp daddy in the land thanks to its lottery and casino interests.
00:06:31.460And sorry, when it comes to sports wagering, there's no such thing as being a little bit pregnant.
00:06:38.280So here's hoping that the Trudeau Liberals will reverse themselves yet again when they hand down the budget tomorrow and throw their support behind single-game sports wagering.
00:06:50.060It would be the right thing for them to do, especially since it's abundantly clear the budget is not going to balance itself.
00:06:59.620Then again, would you ever bet on this particular government doing the right thing?
00:07:03.900I think the odds against that would make even the most reckless gambler cringe.
00:07:23.920Well, tomorrow is budget day and this is an election year.
00:07:28.300So why do I get this queasy feeling that Finance Minister Bill Morneau will resemble Santa Claus in a budget that will likely be jam-packed with goodies and freebies?
00:07:41.200But as we all know, given our obese deficit and debt, nothing is truly free.
00:07:47.740And joining me now to discuss what might be coming down the pike tomorrow regarding this budget is Catherine Swift of Working Canadians.
00:07:55.800Welcome to the Ezra Levent Show, Catherine.
00:08:08.120And what I found rather, I mean, it would be funny if it weren't so awfully sad and serious, but, you know, leading up to this budget, there was all this mention in the media.
00:08:17.660Well, all the economic indicators are looking pretty rough right now.
00:08:21.380So this will give Morneau and the Liberals an excuse for a big spending budget.
00:08:26.200But when have they not had a big spending budget?
00:08:29.740When the economy was, you know, doing not badly, say, last year or the year before, they still had big spending budgets.
00:08:35.980So I sort of didn't understand why this was different.
00:08:38.780But there's no question in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin fiasco and the ongoing situation there, we're going to have, I would think, the Vice Admiral Norman scandal, which looks like it's at least as ugly, if not more so, in the next few months.
00:08:54.780They're clearly looking to turn the page.
00:08:57.580I think even without all that, it would be a big spending budget.
00:09:01.300But this, they're probably looking for even more bells and whistles.
00:09:04.500You know, the squirrel, look over here, Canadians, tactic to try to distract from all of their many, many scandals and fiascos.
00:09:13.480I heard just, I feel I haven't been listening to the news now for five minutes.
00:09:17.500So something else has probably happened in Ottawa in terms of somebody resigning or, you know, the Clerk of the Privy Council resigned this morning.
00:09:24.200We're retired, but, you know, really resigned.
00:09:26.760You know, it is chaos in Ottawa right now with this government.
00:09:30.620And this budget is very scary because, of course, all governments try to bribe us with our own money.
00:09:36.440But this one in particular has developed a real talent for it, and it's not a talent any Canadians should really be appreciating.
00:09:44.720And to go back to something you said about some of the grim economic indicators that have been reported very recently.
00:09:51.580For example, Bank of Canada reporting that GDP has slowed to a near stall.
00:09:57.320And that in December, Canada recorded its widest trade deficit in its history and also predictions that the dollar might fall to 62 cents U.S. or even below.
00:10:15.920And, you know, let me ask you this, Catherine.
00:10:17.660And given those kind of grim indicators, if you were in Bill Murnau's seat, what would you be doing as opposed to what we can expect is going to happen, which is almost a game show-like atmosphere in terms of giveaways?
00:10:44.700I think a real difference would have been if I were in those shoes, those shoes that apparently are resold this year, not brand new ones, I would not have behaved like he behaved in the previous budgets.
00:10:58.800Because, really, the time for sensible, I won't say restraint, but sensible spending control was then.
00:11:08.260And the whole notion, I love it when the left sort of the political spectrum cite Keynesians.
00:11:13.260Keynesians, and I'm an economist, as you probably know.
00:11:16.580And, you know, the perverse thing about Keynes was he actually recommended that you save money in good times so that you have some in the bad times.
00:11:26.460And this government has spent ourselves, because it's our dough, stupid in the good times, which leaves us hugely vulnerable.
00:11:33.560So, I mean, again, I don't see any reason to introduce brand new sparkly things like pharmacare, especially when things like the evidence out there shows that there's a very small minority of people that don't have coverage.
00:11:44.740Why don't we target them instead of having this massive new national program that's going to be mega tens of billions of dollars?
00:11:52.220And it's probably just going to make people unhappy anyway, because I bet a lot of stuff isn't going to be covered by it.
00:11:57.020We've also heard they're going to supposedly do things to help millennials buy houses.
00:12:01.540Well, frankly, you look at the market now, and the rate of millennial home ownership is quite high, thank you very much.
00:12:09.360It doesn't mean there aren't some people that would like to buy a house that can't right now.
00:12:12.880But, again, these kinds of measures are not going to solve the problem.
00:12:17.080They might be sort of the sparkly baubles that somebody who isn't thinking in a long-term sense would find attractive, and that's, of course, what they're hoping.
00:12:24.960But, I mean, I think in terms of different behavior, that should have happened over the past few years.
00:12:29.380We should have a nice cushion now, as we see indicators going south in the economy, so that we can lessen the impact of the recession coming.
00:12:40.860I mean, the price, don't get me wrong, I'm not heartless.
00:12:43.820I mean, it would be wonderful to have a pharmacare program for all Canadians, but there's a price to that, Catherine, as you and I and our audience well knows.
00:12:54.040And, I mean, there's been some other rumors, too, perhaps a national daycare program.
00:12:59.020There would be another multibillion-dollar boondoggle, I should think.
00:13:01.980And even there was some pledge about guaranteeing that Canadians, all Canadians, that is, will have access to high-speed internet by 2030.
00:13:15.420I always love those promises, picking a date in which this crew will be long gone from politics.
00:13:21.160But what do you make of these other rumors that are in the mill in terms of what the price tag will mean to Canadians, Catherine?
00:13:29.180Well, it looks like deficits almost in perpetuity, which is worrisome, always worrisome.
00:13:38.000And if people don't realize what a burden that imposes on our children, our grandchildren down the road, it's disgraceful.
00:13:47.820Everything's being financed by debt now.
00:13:49.760And the deficits, I hear rumors, and I guess we'll see tomorrow, but I hear rumors the deficit's supposed to be coming in about $2 billion less than was forecast in the latest forecast.
00:14:00.160Mind you, these numbers are fiddled with, as we know.
00:14:03.080But apparently corporate tax revenues seem to be up, and so that's accounting for a somewhat lower deficit.
00:14:08.420But in my long career of studying the economy, when things go south, they go south really fast.
00:14:18.720And we're looking in supposedly decent economic times at $18 to $20 billion deficits.
00:14:25.820Those are going to skyrocket more than double, possibly triple, when the economy, which invariably will happen, does go bad.
00:14:34.660And I just really hope Canadians will have some perspective here, because obviously, you know, you can't spend with borrowed dollars forever.
00:14:45.800We all know we can't do that in our household accounts.
00:15:35.500They see that this is an effort to buy votes.
00:15:39.140And yet I can't think of, say, families on the margins, you know, maybe a single mom struggling to make ends meet and hearing free daycare, free pharmacare.
00:15:49.920You know, this makes a difference in my life here and now.
00:16:47.340And even to that, you know, lower income person, they have to be noticing now that they're not better off.
00:16:54.860And I think this is the ultimate thing.
00:16:55.920We can tout studies and, you know, research all we want.
00:16:59.980But there's an awful lot of public opinion polls and other information that are showing your average Canadian doesn't feel better off right now than they felt three and a half, four years ago.
00:17:52.140And all I can say is it was proof positive that Justin Trudeau not only knows nothing about the economy and government finances, but he has had a long history of blurting out grandiose statements that mean nothing or are outright silly.
00:18:09.760And that's probably one of the silliest.
00:19:08.200Wow, Paul, you could be Justin's official apology writer with such wordsmith acumen because a Trudeau apology is all about fancy pronouncements and nothing about personal responsibility.
00:19:23.220And Ice Lion Man writes, he's an embarrassment to Canadian people kind.
00:19:28.940Indeed, not to mention all the Fisher folks from coast to coast.
00:19:35.220And C. White writes, I'm trying to figure out the logic of the most recent apology.
00:19:41.220Junior apologized for the liberal governments of the time evacuating TB victims to where they could be treated and not spread contagion throughout isolated communities.
00:19:53.080Well, wait a minute, C. White, you're trying to piggyback that goofy thing known as logic to something Justin Trudeau does or says.
00:20:03.720That was your first mistake, my friend.
00:20:06.440Well, that's the show for tonight, as we'll be we'll be back for tomorrow.
00:20:10.080Thanks so much for putting out with me.