OTTAWA—In the dry, introductory pages of the federal budget — the pages which most budget-readers flip past to get to the numbers — there’s a valiant attempt to frame what the Liberals’ pre-election fiscal policy is trying to achieve.After the usual self-congratulations for all the fabulous measures of the past, paragraph after paragraph makes it clear.Canadians’ fear, anxiety, and the unwritten understanding that those feelings, however intangible, could prompt voters to buck up on their hind legs and turn to a populist uprising are driving this government’s thinking and planning.The budget is meant to be a $23-billion anti-anxiety bromide, an economic antidote for the insecurities that keep Canadians up at night.“Too many Canadians are worried about making ends meet,” the document states, going on to talk about a long list of concerns that “weigh most heavily” on the public and a recognition that “Canadians of all backgrounds want to be assured.”“There’s a growing sense of uncertainty taking root around the world, Mr. Speaker, and Canada is not immune to those worries,” Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in his budget speech.Read more:Federal budget promises help for seniors, home buyers and workersOpinion | Susan Delacourt: What does federal budget reveal about Liberals’ election plans? Not a whole lotEditorial | After Bill Morneau’s budget, Liberals should move on pharmacareWith an eye on populist disruption that has seized politics in the United States, and the Yellow Vests who have brought chaos for months to the streets of Paris, the budget is an attempt to make sure Canadian voters don’t turn on the established order, and the Liberal party along with it.How?For those with anxiety about how they and their children will hold down a job as artificial intelligence and digitization take over the workplace, the government sets up a portable trainin ...
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