Consumer price gains hit their highest level since January 1983 in Canada. The news comes one week after the Canadian central bank surprised the markets by implementing a 100 basis point rate hike. June’s 8.1% inflation rate acted as another indicator that the Canadian economy is in trouble. The BoC is expected to raise rates by an additional 75 bps at the next meeting, but the central bank cannot solve this problem alone.
Canada is expected to post a 2% deficit in GDP this year, making it the poorest among the G7 nations. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the nation would pull back on pandemic spending, which doubled Canada’s national debt. The Bank of Canada is relying on Freeland and the Trudeau Administration to reduce spending. Who will vote for Trudeau if he stops providing free handouts?
Rising interest rates are hiking up the price of debt servicing. Canada is still pushing for additional health and military spending and sending endless funds to Ukraine. Inflationary pressures will lead the people to look to the government for additional relief as they have provided it in the past.
Gas prices have increased 54.6% in the past year, natural gas and oil rose 38.8%, and food has spiked 8.8%. The hashtag #JustInflation has been spreading across social media as people are increasingly frustrated with Trudeau’s lack of response to the rising cost of living.
