Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published Nov 24, 2025 • 2 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
The program brought together Winnipeg Sun columnists Geoff Currier and Lawrence Pinsky, KC, along with two powerful voices from the Syrian Druze community, Carlos and Sarah, to tackle issues most Canadian media rarely touch. Photo by Klein Media/WINNIPEG SUNArticle content
The newest episode of Inside Politics delivered a blunt critique of the federal budget, with host Kevin Klein and panellists Royce Koop and Lawrence Pinsky, K.C., arguing that the document fails to provide any serious roadmap for Canada’s economic future. Rather than focusing on political theatre or close vote counts, the panel dissected the structural weaknesses at the core of the government’s fiscal plan — and the consequences for Canadians.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
Klein opened by noting the media frenzy around the budget’s tight passage but quickly shifted to what he called the “real story”: the complete absence of long-term economic strategy. While an MP from the Conservatives and one from the NDP abstained — significant but ultimately inconsequential to the outcome — the trio agreed the real concern lies not in procedural drama but in the government’s approach to Canada’s economic health.
Article content
Recommended Videos
Article content
A central criticism was the budget’s silence on Canada’s largest trading partner: the United States. Despite escalating trade pressures, supply chain vulnerabilities, and a rapidly changing global market, the budget offered no meaningful discussion of U.S.–Canada relations. Koop noted that Canadians heard far more about self-sufficiency fantasies than pragmatic economic planning.
The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News
Thanks for signing up!
Article content
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Klein pointed to the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s warnings, which directly contradict the government’s assumptions that Canada can replace U.S. trade with offshore markets. Pinsky was blunt: “It’s a mindless view of how the economy works from a former central banker.” The panel argued that Canada cannot meaningfully grow its economy while ignoring its most critical export pathways.
The conversation intensified around blocked or stalled resource and infrastructure projects. Klein highlighted the absurdity of Canada banning tankers along the British Columbia coast while U.S. tankers travel the same route daily, shipping products Canada could be selling. Koop emphasized that public opinion in B.C. is not uniformly anti-pipeline despite political messaging and that many Canadians understand the national economic necessity of these projects.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Pinsky stressed that the federal government holds the constitutional authority to advance nation-building initiatives, but instead offers “smoke and mirrors” through flashy announcements with little chance of materializing. Even the government’s newly revealed list of five major projects, promoted as transformational, was immediately undermined by officials admitting only one may actually proceed.
Across the panel, one conclusion was shared: Canada is running out of time to correct its economic course. With weak growth, heavy deficits, and stalled development, the budget represents not a plan, but a political holding pattern.
Klein ended the episode with a promise that in the next episode, the panel tackles the government’s inflation narrative and the widening gap between political spin and Canadians’ lived reality.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Play Video
Article content
Share this article in your social network