Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, has come under fire for equating her decision to cancel her family’s Disney+ subscription in order to save money with Canadians’ struggles to make ends meet in the face of rising living expenses, and she has since said that she recognises her privilege.
When questioned by reporters in Milton, Ontario, on Monday, Freeland responded, “I want to start by recognising that I am a very privileged person.”
Like other elected federal officials, I receive a very high income. I truly understood that those struggling the hardest in Canada today are not individuals like myself, those who have extremely excellent fortune.
Freeland faced criticism for being “out of touch” after telling Global News’ The West Block on Sunday that her family cut their Disney+ subscription to save money.
There are still “$6 billion more to go,” according to Freeland, who added that she believes “every mother in Canada” is employing the same cost-cutting strategy. The government is working to identify savings in the federal budget.
And I want to tell all of those mothers that I think I need to treat the federal government’s finances in the same way because it is Canadians’ money, Freeland added in the interview.
Freeland said on Monday that people who are struggling to keep up with the high cost of living are low-income Canadians who “have to make difficult choices” about what food to buy and how to cover their rent.
The federal government announced intentions to pay worker benefits in advance and eliminate interest on student loans in its fall fiscal report, which was published on November 3.
According to Freeland, the federal government’s fall economic statement was influenced by the knowledge that low-income Canadians are struggling in this economy, which led to the decision to “concentrate government resources on aiding the most vulnerable” and double the GST tax credit.
According to Freeland, the government chose to permanently eliminate the federal interest on Canada student and Canada apprentice loans since it is well aware of the difficulties faced by young people.
Freeland calls the comment about Disney+ being cancelled “privileged.”
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