Public spending should support the general public. But in Budget 2024, released Tuesday, the Liberals continued to opt for identity-based programs narrowly targeted to demographics of preference.

On affirmative action, the budget heralded the expansion of the Employment Equity Act, which currently sets employment “targets” for women, visible minorities, Indigenous people and the disabled in the federal public sector. In the fall, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announced that Black people and LGBT people will each get their own target (quota), so this isn’t new, but we can still expect it coming down the pipeline.