The 500-plus-page budget that has now landed before Canadians is not exactly a piece of literature — but it is coming from a government with some literary aspirations.
asserted
it → land → aspirations
Mark Carney’s government is leaning on themes of culture and identity with Budget 2026, hoping that it tells a story of Canadian pride and patriotism at this moment in the country’s history.
asserted
it → lean → history
In keeping with this government’s habit of talking about Donald Trump without actually mentioning the U.S. president, the budget drapes many of its measures with the mantle of sovereignty.
asserted
budget → keep → sovereignty
It was Trump’s sovereignty threats that put Carney in office and prompted the prime minister to walk away from trade talks with the U.S. later this year.
asserted
that → put → U.S.
So it should come as no surprise that it’s a uniting thread throughout those hundreds of pages.
asserted
it → come → pages
Some of that is packaging — fiscal sovereignty, defence sovereignty, investment sovereignty, to name a few — but the budget’s measures on cultural sovereignty display a side of the Carney government that it shows less often.
asserted
it → name → that
“Sovereignty means building a country where Canadian culture thrives, where Canadians see themselves in their stories, music, songs and movies,” the budget announces in the chapter about a “strong and united Canada.”
asserted
budget → mean → Canada
Once again, the shadow of the U.S. looms here, without specifically mentioning it.
asserted
shadow → loom → it
“As more of what we watch, read and listen to is coming from beyond our borders, Canadians deserve to see themselves in their stories,” the budget states.
asserted
budget → watch → stories
It’s here where we see a government dabbling in the literary — the establishment of a Canada Creative Credit to give tax relief to people in the creative arts, setting up a national digital collection of Canadian books, to be made available free to citizens.
asserted
government → ’ → citizens
The Canada Book Fund gets $20 million over four years to boost the production of more Canadian books.
asserted
Fund → get → books
It’s in the budget’s culture section, too, that we see a government trying to fuse populism and patriotism with some measures that will go over well with many Canadians, making admission permanently free or discounted to people under 25 at museums, galleries, parks and for rail travel.
asserted
admission → ’ → travel
Big Canadian cultural institutions, from the National Gallery and the National Arts Centre to the CBC/Radio-Canada are also singled out for infusions of cash.
asserted
institutions → single → cash
Though this isn’t an overly political budget, I’m reasonably sure the Carney government wouldn’t mind if this spending is a reminder of what might not happen under a Conservative government — especially the continued funding for the CBC.
uncertain
what → ’m → CBC
Ditto for the budget measures to support journalism as a whole, whether that’s the journalism labour tax credit or the $134 million over four years for the Local Journalism Initiative.
asserted
that → support → Initiative
In an era where Trump seems to be at permanent war with the journalism industry, you could also see that as a declaration from Canada: no, that’s not happening here.
uncertain
that → seem → Canada
Governments work hard to create what the political pros like to call the “narrative” of major announcements like a budget.
asserted
pros → work → budget
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has been flagging for weeks that he wanted this budget to be seen in the larger context of culture and identity.
asserted
budget → flag → culture
That’s been feeling a bit like a course correction.
asserted
That → feel → correction
Carney’s government spends a lot of time talking about projects and investment and construction, so perhaps they’re looking for a softer side.
asserted
they → spend → side
The finance minister came close to making that admission when he talked to reporters on Thursday.
asserted
he → come → Thursday
“It’s about defending our country for sure, but also celebrating who we are,” Champagne said.
asserted
Champagne → ’ → country
“It’s not just about the hard assets, but it’s telling our story.
asserted
it → ’ → story
But not everyone will come away from this budget calling it a cultural milepost.
asserted
everyone → come → it
Armine Yalnizyan, economist and senior fellow with the Atkinson Foundation, had been hoping that if the government did want to show its softer side, it would have had more to say about the “caring economy,” but she didn’t come away with much reassurance there.
asserted
she → hop → reassurance
“There’s not enough child care, health care, or long-term care … crickets on this whole issue,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → issue
She said she overheard on Thursday what she thought was the best description of this budget.
asserted
she → say → budget
It’s an investment budget.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Ultimately, it will be up to the members of Canada’s cultural communities to assess whether this budget’s emphasis on culture and identity is non-fiction or fiction.
asserted
emphasis → assess → culture
And to be fair, this budget is treating the patriotic moment in Canada’s history as a resource, or even an asset.
asserted
budget → treat → resource
He’s written a book and was a member of a book club — some of them still in contact with him today.
asserted
He → write → him
Their reviews of the budget would be fascinating to hear.
asserted
reviews → hear → budget
It’s not literature, but it’s tried hard to land as a story.
asserted
it → ’ → story
The Aporia
