The Ben Mulroney Show - Military housing, CRA bad advice and a school board forced abandon DEI

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also, on youtube -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenMulroneyShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Insta: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast is brought to you by the National Payroll Institute, the leader for the payroll profession in Canada, setting the standard of professional excellence, delivering critical expertise, and providing resources that over 45,000 payroll professionals rely on. Happy Wednesday, everybody. It's Wednesday, October 22nd. Thank you so much for spending Hump Day with us. In any government, the Auditor General plays a significant role. Right before we started, I was like, you know what, just in case some of the people listening don't know what the Auditor General does, I'm going to tell them. And I'm like, I kind of don't have a great definition at the ready.

according to the website of the Office of the Auditor General. The Auditor General's responsibilities include auditing operations of the federal and territorial governments, providing Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies with independent information, assurance, and advice regarding the stewardship of public funds. We are just coming out of 10 years of the most reckless spending in the history of this country. So what we do with the few shekels we have left is going to be, paramount. And so this office needs to be listened to when they speak. And the head of the auditor general, the auditor general herself is Karen Hogan. Remember that name because you will be

hearing it a lot. And as I said, she provides information to parliament and the legislative assemblies as well as, and part of that also means going into committee and answering the questions of parliamentarians and committee members. Here is Karen Hogan talking about the bad shape of housing for our brave men and women in uniform. Your report shows the national defense failed to meet housing needs. We're at least 5,200 units short. And the ones that we do have are outdated spaces with no Wi-Fi.

Some don't even have functioning sanitary waste systems. We also have stories that members are having to couch surf. And I think the low point is a article that came out in 2022 that said that they were being advised to go to Habitat for Humanity to find housing. I find that concerning. Do you want to elaborate on that? You know, the National Defense is not managing their housing in a way that will meet their needs or the needs of their members at all.

I think what was concerning for me is that we, saw the poor condition of so many housing units that I think you and I would not want to live in and we shouldn't expect that our Canadian Armed Forces members. You'll remember a few months ago there were, there's always these numbers about the Canadian military not hitting their recruitment targets. The question is how, why? I think the fact that our soldiers have to couch surf or lean on habitat for humanity in order to live decently while serving this country could be one of the reasons.

Now, what we're talking about is a snapshot based on investments from the past or lack of investments from the past. If there's one thing, if there is one thing, not to say it's the only thing, but if there is one thing that I'm actually very proud of this government for, it's seemingly a renewed commitment in our armed forces. And my hope is this drive to give them whatever they need to serve our country will also include taking care of them, you know, when they kind of need to sleep. But this is an example. This is an echo of the unseriousness of the previous government on files that we should have taken very, very seriously.

I mean, come on. what do we say you can tell a lot about a of a society based on how they take care of the least um the most vulnerable among them and i think that's true but i think you can also tell a lot about a country by how they take care of their military and we didn't for years we didn't to the point that their toilets didn't work this but it's not surprising I am surprised because I've been around the military a lot. And we used to take really, really good care of them. We used to, when we were in Afghanistan, I remember seeing the, when I was over there,

because I did a couple of tours covering the conflict, I remember seeing the British military vehicles. And they looked like stuff straight out of the Second World War. They had horrible, horrible gear at the start of that conflict. And Canada had amazing equipment. Yeah. And they really had their stuff together. But in the years since, it really went down. Well, last week, I did an interview with Canadian sniper who wrote a book.

We did that for the West Block. And when we weren't shooting, he was regaling us with tales of, you know, the Americans and the Brits and the Canadians all living together in the Kandahar base. They have Tim Horton's there. Yeah. I have a hat from there. He said that when they would hang out with the Americans, they were very careful not to tell the Americans how much they made because I guess the way a military salary is calculated

depends on are you in the arena of war? And if you are, you kind of get danger pay. And so they wouldn't tell it because I guess when Canadians would go into an arena of war, which was rare, far more rare than the Americans. I guess because it was so extraordinary for us they would turn the pay up to 11 and so they'd be very careful not to tell their analogs from south of the border

that they were making more but I guess something tells me that as soon as that as soon as that conflict ended for Canada I think that's when we just turned off the taps we did and we a lot of the gear was damaged or destroyed and they never replaced it

and that's where we're at now. Yeah, over 3,700 members are on housing wait lists. There are only 205 units available as of March 2025. And like we said, what is the state of those 205 units? Just because, and you've got to ask yourself, why are they available? If they're available with 3,700 members on a housing wait list, it's probably because you can't, the conditions, anyone else would view those conditions as unlivable.

That's a speculation on my part. The average age of housing units, 60 years 60 years That's not terrible I mean my house is older than that Yeah I don't think that's what we should be comparing it to

No No I mean my house was built The first part First half of my house was built 100 years ago Yeah And the back was built like 30 years ago Not germane to the conversation

Intrepid producer But it's not the age of the unit It's the state of Yeah, it doesn't matter if it's a 60 years old. Have you been maintaining it? And clearly the answer is no. Now, the silver lining, the good news is defense minister David McGinty has admitted conditions are poor, but said new housing and renovations are underway.

Got to keep our eyes on this and make sure that they are true to their word because we owe it to the people in our society who choose to put on a uniform and defend us. To me, that's pretty standard. It should be standard. And it is fairly easy just to say, yeah, you know, we're fixing things. We're going to get renovations going. And they say a lot of stuff like that and then don't do it. Hey, did you know that there are more people working for the CRA than there are soldiers in the army?

That's an interesting stat. Yeah, yeah. That was Justin Trudeau's army that he raised. Literally an army of tax collectors. And you would think, so you know how it works. There's all these rules when it comes to tax time. All these rules that you need to know. If you don't know them and you file improperly, you'll get dinged, right?

But sometimes you think, I don't know if I'm supposed to deduct this or not. I will call up CRA and get the information from the horse's mouth. Well, the Auditor General's new report slams the Canada Revenue Agency for failing to meet service targets and giving wrong information to taxpayers. CRA has cut their call center staff in half. I don't know if that matters. I don't know how big that staff was pre-justin Trudeau. So maybe they were just right sizing it.

I don't know. From over 7,000 agents to 3,500 agents. I think 7,000 is a lot for a call center, but I don't know. Accuracy is a big way. Listen to this. This was the king. This is the thing. Okay.

So of all the people who called up with, and you don't call up CRA to say hi, you call them when you have a question you really need answered. Only 17% of answers to individual tax questions were correct. 17. 54% accuracy on benefit. or business questions. And my favorite, CRA's AI chatbot, Charlie, was write 33% of the time. I don't know squat about the tax code.

And I could guess right more than that. I could guess right more than the AI chatbot. And how much did it cost us to build that chatbot? Oh, man. I imagine it was quite a bit. All right. Why the Toronto District School Board is moving back. to merit-based systems for entry into specialized schools.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you've been following the news, like really following it, you know how exhausting it can be. Politics, conflict, uncertainty. It's a lot to carry. And for many men, there's this expectation to stay calm, stay in control, and not talk about how it's affecting you. But the truth is, you're allowed to feel overwhelmed.

You're allowed to say, I'm not okay right now. And trust me, I have been there. Whether it's the state of the world, stress at home, or just feeling like you've got to have it all together and have all the answers. You don't have to hold it in. BetterHelp is here to help with the world's largest network of licensed therapists.

They've already supported over 5 million people. You can connect with a therapist online from wherever you are, no wait list, no office visits. And if it's not the right fit, you can switch any time. It's time to put your mental health on the agenda. Talk it out with better help. Visit BetterHelp.com slash Mulruni today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, help.com slash Mulruni.

With Amex Platinum, access to exclusive Amex pre-sale tickets can score you a spot trackside. So being a fan for life turns into the trip of a lifetime. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Pre-sale tickets for future events subject to availability and vary by race. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at amex.ca.com. Welcome back to the Ben Mulrooney show. Do you remember the TV show that they made them do a week called fame back in the 80s?

It was about a highly competitive arts public school in New York City. And every kid, to get in there, it was like a cutthroat audition process. And once you were in, you found your tribe, people who were as passionate about dance or art or music as you were. And I didn't know up until maybe six months ago that in the city of Toronto, in the public school system, there are versions of that. There are focused public schools. And one of them is a school called Rosdale School for the Performing Heights. A Rosedale Heights School for the Performing Arts. And it was, there was a principal there who took a regular public school and manifested something different.

He willed it into existence. He worked until it became an art school. And for the longest time, he was the principal there. And he oversaw some really creative programs and creative students. And to get in there, it wasn't at the cutthroat audition process of holidays. would, but there was an element of, you have to display proficiency and interest in these things. And then, and then, um, DEI happened. Sorry, I, hey, by the way, I went, I learned about all this stuff accidentally. I went to a fundraiser at the school. And while I was sitting

around waiting for it to start, parents were coming up to me. And the parents were quietly telling me, you know, there's a great school. But, all the a sudden, the TDSB came in, the Toronto District School Board came in and changed the admissions process, where now it's a lottery in an effort to be, to give everybody equal access, it's a lottery system. And what they noticed was a drop in the quality of the creativity, of creativity, I guess. Because there are kids showing up with no proficiency and no interest, but their parents said, oh, that's probably a good public school.

We're going to drop them in the lottery and see if they get in. And they would get in, and there you go. And then this began a massive campaign to turn the clock back to a time where schools like this were magnets for people who wanted to be there. And now the Ministry of Education under Minister Paul Calandra is taking an additional step. and he's throwing this entire lottery system out province-wide, and they're going back to a merit system. Elementary applicants will submit portfolios or audition tapes. High school applicants will be judged on grades 30%

and skills demonstrations 70% like portfolios, tests, and auditions. No priority groups. No group that is given access just because. And look, I've heard people on both sides say, look, you know, if there's a dance program, there are certain dance classes are expensive and that school shouldn't be off limits to a child because their family couldn't afford dance. Yeah, that's the way the world works And you're confusing access to the education system To access to the exact school you want If you really cared about that

We should have voucher systems here Where you can take your kid and put them in any school you want You can't Everybody has access to education In the province of Ontario Everybody has access to public education Across the country But for these schools

that are built on the idea of bringing together passionate, creative, dedicated students who want to pursue this thing, either science or technology or math or arts, to do anything but make it essential to demonstrate proficiency, you might as well light the whole thing on fire. Right? Nobody is saying that every kid shouldn't have access to high quality public education. In fact, it exists. It exists.

But then to take the added step of saying, well, now we've got to make sure that these specific schools have equity. No, no, no, no, no. Those schools are not about equity. Those schools are about results. Those schools are about passion. Those schools are about, it just is. And here's the thing.

We don't all get what we want in life. Yeah, we just don't. How many times you say that? How often do we say that? We say it all the time. And yet there is this push in the way. world to bend reality to the will of really activist people. I think it started back when we stopped telling kids that they could win in sports.

Oh, yeah. And where you started giving trophies to everyone, nobody's a winner. Even though the kids know who won. And we change it. We're like, oh, because we don't want kids to feel left out. Yeah. But, you know, what is it done? We've expanded this into the rest of society.

Yeah. And like I said, if there was no public education and the only public. education available were these schools, I would be entirely on board with a lottery system. But the public education system exists. Every kid has access to a, and you know what happens. Yes, there are people, their parents out there who want better for their kids. And they hear that there's a lottery system, you know, maybe, maybe two wards over. And it's a better community. And it's a, the school is nicer. So I'm going to put my kid in that. Yes, sure. They don't, they don't know the first thing about art.

but I care about my kid getting a better education. Okay? These schools don't exist for that. But that's a voucher system. That's a very right-wing idea. You know, that's a very right-wing idea, especially in the states, right? The school choice, that's a huge idea for, you know, if a school is underperforming, parents have the right should be able to pick up their kid and take them anywhere they want.

That is a right-wing idea in the states. Here, we've turned our art schools into an example of school choice. choice. And at what point do we, the kids have to learn at some point that the world is about merit. It's about earning it. You don't advance in this world unless you work hard, unless you actually earn it. Sadly, we have a lot of situations where that's not the case because we've changed, we've taken that out. But we've become a joke in terms of the rest of the world. They look at us as weak. If there was an activist here, they would say, oh, but you're depriving the kid. It's like, no, you're forgetting about the entire education.

system. And you're also depriving other children. Yeah. No, it is. No, and you're right, but there are, there are countries around the world, not everywhere, but there are a lot of countries that look at Western what has happened to countries like Canada, maybe less so in the States these days, but the UK certainly, where we bend over backwards in an effort to rig the race so that everybody wins, right? Yeah, but not everybody can win. No. And. But every time you say, okay, well, we're going to bring. up these other people. You're actually setting other ones back. People who may have earned their spot into that school. Yeah. Like, so what are we going to say? We had that issue in Ontario with that, the new medical school with Ryerson. Originally they said, yeah, we're going to hold out positions, half the positions for, for people from this community. And we saw, we, we talked

about it, said you can't do that. We talked about it three weeks ago where there's a university that has a chair for an AI professorship and it's only available to self-identifying women with disabilities. Yes.

Okay, well, look, I don't know how many women there are with disabilities who are working in AI. I'm sure that in that group there are some great candidates. I would suggest as well that in the broader community

of people, there are more candidates. More candidates that you've said, no, we don't want to look at you. You may very well be the best. Hell, the top 10 best people may be in that other cohort, but we don't care because we want a woman with a disability here. That's what they care about.

And so we will lose the AI race. We will lose it. Lose it if we are choosing people based on how they present. That's it. We're losing the business race. Yeah. We are losing the business race. And, you know, they've changed these things down in the States.

We haven't done that in Canada yet. Oh, God, no. No, God, no. Not at all. I'm telling you, if these woke policies ever enjoy a death rattle, that death rattle will come from Canada. Well, we ended up getting a bunch of texts when we were talking about the CRA, and people were saying, yeah, I work at the CRA, and they're only hiring right now on DEI. That's it. Okay. I didn't realize it was all I'd come back to that. All right.

Yeah. Okay. That's it. By the way, the fact that they're hiring, it's never been bigger than it is right now, and they're still hiring, great. This fall on Flavor Network. I'm actually on Top Chef Canada.

It's super surreal being here. The search for Canada's top show. Chef starts now. Let's go! Ten chefs are on a culinary quest. Tastes like fear, anxiety, all at the same time, but delicious. Only one will be crowned. It's tough.

One of the hardest things I've ever done. Two minutes, chef! Top Chef Canada. All new Tuesdays. On Flavor Network, stream on Stack TV.