How consumer rage defines Canadian politics

In today’s The Big Story podcast, there are plenty of signs that things are looking up in terms of affordability: Inflation is down and interest rates are declining fast — but when we’re being asked to pay more for everything from sandwiches to candy bars and boxes of cereal, it’s hard to feel anything other than angry.

Ira Wells is a Toronto-based journalist who wrote about consumer rage in The Walrus.  “People are feeling pretty grim about the economy,” says Wells, “when you ask people today about their prospects for the future, they will tell you they expect to be worse off a year from now, than they are today.”  

How has consumer rage becoming the defining issue of today’s political landscape? Why do we feel the price of a candy bar more than all the numbers that tell us things are getting better? And how are smart politicians channeling that rage?

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify. You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.