You neglected to point out that Trudeau reversed Harper's decision to defer OAS benefits to age 67.  So there was a net benefit for certain seniors that would not have happened under Harper.  And it is two years that elapsed, not three -- 06/07, then 07/08.  Government fiscal years span calendar years, making the whole thing confusing.  And Harper ran deficits in each of the following 8 years.

With respect to family benefits -- under Harper they were taxable.  Trudeau's plan gives the money tax free, and unlike Harper, the greater the need, the bigger the monthly benefit.  With birth rates dropping and child poverty a persistent problem, I call that money well spent -- especially since a benefit to the poor always goes back into the Canadian economy.

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