Governments in Atlantic Canada regularly subsidize private industry. Many people mistakenly believe that such handouts will strengthen the economy and employment.
But corporate welfare actually does more harm than good. It questionably reallocates wealth from one side of the productive sector to another. It often distributes public money based on political reasons instead of sound economic logic. It also makes businesses less competitive and less productive, with government helping to choose economic wins and losses.
The success and failure of businesses should not be determined by government intervention. Taxes should fund public goods and not private ventures. In Atlantic Canada, all political stripes should embrace this idea of economic neutrality.