The Art of Government Announcements: When Talk Replaces Action
In contemporary political discourse, certain traditional expressions have faded from common usage, including "talk is cheap." This phrase appears particularly absent within government circles in Ottawa, where the current Liberal administration has seemingly perfected the practice of making announcements without following through with substantive action.
The Announcement Cycle: A Sophisticated Strategy
Governments have developed a cunning approach to inaction that begins with politically maximizing every announcement through theatrical staging and media engagement. From the government's perspective, ideal press coverage involves multiple stages: initial stories previewing the upcoming announcement, followed by coverage of the announcement itself, and subsequent "critical analysis" in commentary sections or through television discussions.
The staging itself can be deliberately misleading, as demonstrated when Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a housing initiative at a fabricated building site, reminiscent of historical political theater. This approach creates the appearance of progress while often delivering little substantive change.
The Re-announcement Strategy
After sufficient time has elapsed—typically measured in months or years—governments frequently employ a follow-up announcement strategy. This often involves a new minister or, in cases of government turnover, a different prime minister reaffirming or recommitting to previous promises. The language typically involves phrases like "Canada's new government recommits to that initiative we previously announced but failed to implement."
From Royal Commissions to New Agencies
The traditional approach of establishing Royal Commissions to study issues appears to have been replaced by creating new agencies, which offer the additional benefit of increased employment opportunities. The federal Liberals have employed this strategy twice within infrastructure policy alone.
The Trudeau government established the Canada Infrastructure Bank in 2017 with a substantial $35 billion budget allocated over ten years, intended to "de-risk" projects and attract reluctant private investors. However, the bank delivered meager results despite its executives receiving healthy six-figure salaries, drawing significant criticism from observers.
The Major Projects Office: More Process as Solution
In August 2025, the government announced the creation of the "Major Projects Office," designed to accelerate projects through faster permitting and coordinated funding. Critics argue this approach essentially acknowledges that existing processes are so burdensome that additional bureaucratic layers are required to navigate them—akin to treating a hangover with more alcohol.
Based in Calgary with plans for satellite offices in other major Canadian cities, the office has reportedly added regulations and red tape rather than reducing them. Similar to the Infrastructure Bank, it employs hand-picked executives with substantial salaries. The fifteen projects currently listed on its interactive map remain "in process," maintaining the persistent gap between political rhetoric and concrete results.
Memoranda vs. Binding Agreements
The current administration appears confused about the distinction between memoranda of understanding—which by definition represent preliminary negotiation stages—and actual binding agreements. Prime Minister Carney and his cabinet have expended significant resources accumulating economic and trade MOUs that represent "agreements to negotiate" at future dates.
During Carney's recent diplomatic mission to India, for instance, the government reportedly committed to finalizing a trade agreement by year's end. Observers might reasonably anticipate a "recommitment" announcement in the coming months, continuing the pattern of promising action while delivering primarily additional announcements.
This approach to governance raises fundamental questions about political accountability and the relationship between governmental communication and tangible policy implementation in contemporary Canadian politics.
