Eric Lombardi: How elites and established interests hijack government to crush Canada’s middle class 

Today in Canada, the promise of shared prosperity and equitable growth is fading amidst escalating challenges. Our country is grappling with the fallout from a record surge in temporary immigration, pushed through without debate at the behest of influential business interests without adequate planning for infrastructure, housing, or social capacity. Construction costs and timelines for these social goods, from housing to transit to hospitals, have ballooned to comical levels.

Meanwhile, petty crime is rising as community trust erodes, homelessness is multiplying, and the cost of living has skyrocketed post-pandemic. Unemployment is inching up, especially among young adults who increasingly see the “Canadian Dream” as out of reach.

For Canada’s middle class, life has become an endless gauntlet. The economy is dominated by oligopolies that disregard innovation, quality, and value. The government seems intent on increasing taxes while their ability to actually deliver public goods declines toward developing-world standards.

Amid this backdrop, the powers that be have lost touch with the systems and opportunities that once buoyed the middle class. How did we reach this precarious cliff edge? Why do cries for systemic improvements feel like screaming into the void?

Regulatory capture has rigged our economy 

Peeling back the layers reveals the pervasive influence of regulatory capture—a phenomenon that not only explains the erosion of public goods but also exposes why the Canadian economy feels rigged against its citizens.

Powerful corporations dominate major sectors, leaving small businesses and new competitors struggling to launch and survive. Simultaneously, wealthy and often older residents influence housing and growth policies to their advantage, marginalizing younger, newer, and less privileged Canadians. This entrenched system ensures that prosperity remains out of reach for those without established influence or wealth.