By James Keller
Like a true Albertan, I’m about to come down on social welfare. While I tend to slide left almost daily, I’ve finally given way to the free market: let it rule.
Of course, I’m talking about farm aid–$324 million from the Alberta government to combat poor crops and drought. Why is it that in a province so opposed to government intervention we bail out the conservative heart of Alberta when times get tough? If a farm owner can’t keep afloat–as a business–isn’t that Darwinism at its capitalistic best? If the aging farming industry can’t survive, find a corporation that can.
Then there’s the heritage argument, that the family-run farm is part of our history. Well, so was Eaton’s, and no one cried for help then; we let an entrenched Canadian icon sink.
It’s not that we shouldn’t give anyone a hand up, but every time crops are bad (or when they’re especially good, driving down prices), they call for a lifeboat.
We don’t help the average Canadian business owner. Why are we doing it here?