I was listening to CBC Radio Monday afternoon, and the topic was the proposal from the Federal Liberal Government to increase Canada's capital gains inclusion rate from 50% to 67% for individuals earning more than $250,000 in capital gains in a year, and on all capital gains realized by corporations and most types of trusts.

Mike de Jong, a former British Columbia cabinet minister who is now a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in Abbotsford-South Langley, was brought in to comment on it.

What de Jong said was very predictable. He's against it, as is Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and the rest of the CPC. He started off by saying that the Liberal Government is spending too much money, and should be cutting spending instead of increasing taxes.

At that point, I was wishing that I was the one asking the questions. The obvious question is, what would the CPC cut?

The new Canada Dental Plan?

The child-care plan?

The lack of housing, and the high price of housing that results from that lack of housing, is a huge problem in Canada. The Liberal Government has come up with proposals to put serious money into building affordable homes, protecting and expanding rental housing, and building more co-ops. Would the CPC eliminate this?

Most people who are paying attention will tell you that Canada's military is underfunded. Poilievre himself said that he would increase defense spending. Should we now conclude that he doesn't really mean it?

Intercity public transportation in Canada is inadequate by any standard. Getting more buses on the road and more passenger trains is going to cost serious money. Can we conclude that no money for this will be coming from the CPC?

Another serious problem in Canada is a shortage of doctors and other medical practitioners. Is the CPC's response to this to reduce health care spending instead of increasing it?

Crime is another major problem. While some of the cost of addressing this is at the provincial level, we still need more RCMP officers, judges, and prisons at the federal level. This will cost money.

Another serious problem for Canadians is inflation. A major cause of inflation is budget deficits, and de Jong and Poilievre would be among the first people to tell you that. But, as I've shown here, Federal spending must increase. (Note that in the case of defense spending, even Poilievre said so.) So, the only way to fix this problem is to increase taxes, and when the CPC states otherwise, they are promoting a fantasy.

Now, as to this specific tax increase proposal, capital gains will still be taxed less than ordinary income; it will just be 33% less instead of 50% less. In the radio interview, de Jong gave an example of someone who owns a second home, and will get a revenue hit when he sells it. Excuse me, but are we supposed to feel sorry for this person? One-third of Canadians can't afford to own one home, let alone two. If you are unclear about who the CPC answers to, it should be obvious that they don't answer to you.