The title of this article may be remembered—by those who were around in the 60’s—as a single line from a Bob Dylan song; others have used the phrase (or some variation thereof) to underline the damage that is done (or can be done) by the love of money, manifesting as greed or covetousness. Indeed, the Bible says that “. . . the love of money is the root of all evil.”

Money itself is not a problem, nor the things it can buy. The problem is in the attitudes that can arise in our hearts in relation to earthly treasure. In the same chapter, the Apostle Paul tells us that, “. . . the living God gives us richly all things to enjoy.” Our God is a God of abundance, and He wants the best for us. But for our benefit, He warns us not to put our trust in “. . . uncertain riches.” Our trust needs to be in Him, the God who created all things and the God who created us in His Image.

It’s obvious to anyone that those who have accumulated large amounts of money often exert an inordinate influence on the world and the people around them. Money can buy influence in the media or even in the government. In fact, money often dictates who will be elected and who will make the rules. Money buys advertising. Money buys real estate. Money buys access to politicians. Money can—and often does—influence policy decisions. Strange as it may seem, money can buy more money.

When Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament make decisions about projects that may be approved, the routes of new highways, restrictions on businesses or environmental and agriculture policies, often those decisions are influenced by the lobbyists they listen to. Lobbyists who represent larger businesses—businesses with larger payrolls, more employees and that are likely to contribute larger amounts of taxes—are more likely to have access to decision makers. Likewise, businesses or organizations that are more likely to influence voters are also more likely to have the ear of the government.

We all know this to be true, but sometimes, when we see it being acted out in front of our eyes, we wish politicians would resist the temptation to do only what benefits them personally and do what they know to be best for society and for the country.

Sam Cooper—the brilliant and courageous investigative journalist who has exposed so much of the connection between the fentanyl crisis, money laundering, BC casinos and Chinese government influence—has published a very illuminating article on his substack, The Bureau. His article is called, “Developers Don’t Want to Sell at a Loss: PM Carney on Vancouver Condo Bailout.” In this article, Mr. Cooper reveals that the Prime Minister, BC Premier David Eby and Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, former Mayor of Vancouver, are planning to bail out Vancouver developers with $3.2 billion of taxpayers’ money to keep condo prices out of reach of ordinary Canadians who live and work (and pay taxes) in the Vancouver area. They are even talking about making it easier for foreign buyers (the same ones who drove condo prices over $1.1 million) to purchase these condos. Why taxpayers should bail out speculative developers is supposedly answered by the PM’s compassionate explanation, “Developers don’t want to sell at a loss.”

Of course they don’t. Nobody wants to lose money. When did it become the taxpayer’s responsibility to guarantee profit to developers? We live in a supposedly free market system. People are free to invest their hard-earned money in a business or real estate, and if they have made a wise investment, they may earn a substantial reward for their efforts. If they made a foolish investment, they may suffer loss. It is not the government’s responsibility, nor that of the beleaguered taxpayer, to ensure that they are successful.

Were governments influenced by lobbyist money? Mr. Cooper points out that in 2014, developers paid $25,000 per plate for an exclusive lunch with then-Mayor, Gregor Robertson. I wonder if their generosity may have influenced the decisions that were made that affected their plans? Now that 4,376 of those expensive condos are sitting empty, those same developers want a bailout. Mr. Carney, Mr. Eby and Mr. Robertson plan to give them one.

Shaun Newman, in a recent podcast, spoke with Vesper, of Vesper Digital, about the many business connections and influential roles that paved the way for Mark Carney to become Canada’s Prime Minister and to engineer favourable business conditions for Brookfield Asset Management, the company of which he was the former Chairman and in which he still has a huge stake. That interview is well worth listening to, because Vesper lays out a timeline that shows how Mr. Carney’s influence has grown through the multiple positions he has held and how that influence may now be creating huge financial benefits for him in spite of the “blind trust” arm’s-length management of his investments.

As Christians, we are told not only to avoid evil but to avoid the “appearance of evil.” When the love of money affects politics or government policies, our nation is in grave peril. It’s time that government leaders take steps to eliminate conflicts of interest that can affect the future of all Canadians. The Christian Heritage Party calls for new standards of ethical behaviour for public servants, including the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Only when Canada’s political leaders have acknowledged—as in former times—the supremacy of God, will they be capable of making decisions that are truly in the interest of Canadians.