Hub Podcasts Mark Carney's debut budget fails to meet the moment
6 snips
Nov 5, 2025 
Sean Speer, editor-at-large at The Hub, critiques Mark Carney's first budget for being too Ottawa-centric and missing generational change. He argues it underestimates U.S. investment threats and shows deficits are due to policy choices. Richard Shimooka delves into Ronald Reagan's political legacy, comparing it to today's leaders, including Trump. He explores Reagan's message of optimism versus Trump's gripes, and how Reagan's governance strengths still resonate in today's polarized landscape.
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Ottawa-Centric Economic Design Persists
- Sean Speer argues the Carney budget keeps Ottawa as the central designer of the economy despite new rhetoric.
- He warns this Ottawa-centric approach misreads threats like US tariffs and risks mistaking action for outcomes.
Be More Aggressively Tax Competitive
- Speer recommends Canada aim for far greater tax competitiveness to counter US tariff incentives.
- He says matching US tax policies is insufficient and Canada should err on the side of being much more competitive.
Deficits Are A Policy Choice Here
- The budget's larger deficits stem from deliberate higher spending choices, not external shocks.
- Speer emphasizes the deficit growth is a policy decision reflecting the Ottawa consensus.
