Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You'd think so the way Harper has spent and wasted money....jets anyone?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Harper has reduced the size of the national budget or at least contained its growth more than any PM before him in the modern history of Canada. (And this year has zeroed out the national deficit, something that Trudeau doesn't even believe himself that he could possibly accomplish. )
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Harper has reduced the size of the national budget or at least contained its growth more than any PM before him in the modern history of Canada. (And this year has zeroed out the national deficit, something that Trudeau doesn't even believe himself that he could possibly accomplish. )
At what cost? He has never had a balanced budget until this year when they took billions from other programs to make it look balanced.
Canada is in a recession, denied by the Cons, but not by economists.
“Look at the record. Not since the 1930s have Canadian economic growth numbers been so bad as this last decade under Harper.” And no, Goodale argued, you couldn’t blame it on “global conditions,” as the Prime Minister liked to do. The downturn from the financial crisis ended several years ago."
It's not just fiscal issues that makes me dislike Harper, it's his disdain of the Supreme Court and Parliament.
He is the ONLY PM in the commonwealth that has ever been found in contempt of Parliament.
They amount of convictions and charges while in power is also I believe is unprecedented:
Michael Sona Robocall scandal. JAILED
Deal Del Mastro JAILED ( now released on bail )
Conservative Party of Canada was found guilty of election fraud fined $52,000
Patrick Brazeau – Harper Senator CHARGED with fraud awaiting trial
Bruce Carson – Former Harper Advisor CHARGED with illegal lobbying
Peter Penashue – Campaign Agent CHARGED Illegal contributions
Mike Duffy – Harper Senator 31 CHARGES including fraud, bribery and breach of trust. The trial is ongoing and the gong show of the Cons contradicting each other is hilarious. "
Pamela Wallin – Harper Senator under investigation
Current the RCMP is investigating 30 of the 83 sitting senators...more than 1/3 of the house.
Anyway...this is the MOST hated and despised government in modern Canadian history. They poll between 25 and 31 percent at most. However the poll numbers do not reflect how those who despise Harper feel. In the past when it was the PC party, people and politicians seem to have more respect the opposition. Harper has polarized the country, much like the US.
At what cost? He has never had a balanced budget until this year when they took billions from other programs to make it look balanced.
Canada is in a recession, denied by the Cons, but not by economists.
That's not really true by three different counts.
First, economists here in the U.S. don't define a recession in the way that you have (two consecutive quarters of no growth).
Second, those numbers are still very much subject to revision, and so it's somewhat doubtful that even by that narrow definition that any economist will call the past two quarters a recession once the full numbers are out.
Third, even if it were a recession that is because oil and mineral prices are low, and energy/mining takes up a very large part of the Canadian economy because that's your competitive advantage and resources relative to the rest of the world community. There's nothing a PM can do about that global price drop.
Harper has at least created an environment where U.S. entrepreneurs and companies are moving to Canada whereas it was the other way around under all the Liberals before him. So that has at least softened the blow of the oil drop, and for the first time I've been very impressed with the Canadian business climate in the past decade or so when no one ever was before.
You're right about the poll numbers being down, but that's probably more due to the average voter not having an economics background (and/or the national security stuff that seems a bit overdone). The CPC is still expected to have more seats than the Liberals or NDP at this point, however. So as unpopular as you think they are, they're still as or more popular than anyone else so far.
And both Trudeau and Harper admit that the budget deficit will grow from $0 under Harper to $10,000,000,000.00 if Trudeau is elected. So it's taking a bizarre argument to blame Harper for deficits and then run on creating more deficits.
First, economists here in the U.S. don't define a recession in the way that you have (two consecutive quarters of no growth).
Second, those numbers are subject to revision, and it's doubtful that even by that narrow definition that any economist will call the past two quarters a recession once the full numbers are out.
Third, even if it were a recession that is because oil and mineral prices are low, and energy/mining takes up a very large part of the Canadian economy because that's your competitive advantage and resources relative to the rest of the world community. There's nothing a PM can do about that global price drop.
Harper has at least created an environment where U.S. entrepreneurs and companies are moving to Canada whereas it was the other way around under all the Liberals before him. So that has at least softened the blow of the oil drop, and for the first time I've been very impressed with the Canadian business climate in the past decade or so when no one ever was before.
Well if your concerns are only about business climate...then great for you. Not so great for Canadians and what he has done to Canada. Also no offence, but what economists call something in the US doesn't mean it has to in Canada.
A country is more than just a " business climate " It's about values as well.
EDIT: Also putting so many eggs in the oil basket has proven that trying to be a Petrostate in the time of climate change and looking towards greener alternatives, wasn't sound economic policy.
Well if your concerns are only about business climate...then great for you. Not so great for Canadians and what he has done to Canada. Also no offence, but what economists call something in the US doesn't mean it has to in Canada.
A country is more than just a " business climate "
EDIT: Also putting so many eggs in the oil basket has proven that trying to be a Petrostate in the time of climate change and looking towards greener alternatives, wasn't sound economic policy.
Canada will always be more than its business climate, but the economic well-being of its people and median incomes will always be closely tied to the business climate. There's a reason that under Harper, the median Canadian income surpassed the United States for the first time in history. Canada has been far better managed for the past decade.
I do agree that putting some subsidies into wind energy would also help Canada, but it will always be a Petrostate like Russia even after oil is less widely needed or used than it is today. And it's not like Canada can be a bastion of solar technology as there is barely half the total sun of an Arizona or Colorado.
Mulcair (whom I like) talks a lot about the manufacturing sector, but it couldn't have grown the past ten years no matter who was in charge. A strong Canadian dollar (which will always happen when oil is high) kills manufacturing exports every time. Maybe someone could talk about the energy sector subsidizing the manufacturing sector during times of a high C$ and manufacturing subsidizing the energy sector during periods of a devalued C$ (which means oil is also low).
That's the only real solution to diversify more and avoid boom-and-bust cycles, but 0 of the 3 candidates have proposed something like that.
Canada will always be more than its business climate, but the economic well-being of its people and median incomes will always be closely tied to the business climate. There's a reason that under Harper, the median Canadian income surpassed the United States for the first time in history. Canada has been far better managed for the past decade.
I do agree that putting some subsidies into wind energy would also help Canada, but it will always be a Petrostate like Russia even after oil is less widely needed or used than it is today. And it's not like Canada can be a bastion of solar technology as there is barely half the total sun of an Arizona or Colorado.
Mulcair (whom I like) talks a lot about the manufacturing sector, but it couldn't have grown the past ten years no matter who was in charge. A strong Canadian dollar (which will always happen when oil is high) kills manufacturing every time. Maybe someone could talk about the energy sector subsidizing the manufacturing sector during times of a high C$ and manufacturing subsidizing the energy sector during periods of a devalued C$ (which means oil is also low).
That's the only real solution to diversify more and avoid boom-and-bust cycles, but 0 of the 3 candidates have proposed something like that.
How much of the middle-class doing " well " has to do with Harper? By default we can easily get ahead with cheaper healthcare costs including lower prescription costs, and lower tuition fees, as tuition skyrockets in the US.
The real question should be " is Canada's middle-class doing better than 10 years ago? " Not bragging about being better off than a middle-class in the US that is losing ground.
Anyway I have to run. I'm heading to a party to see friends I haven't seen in many years. One thing I will say, this Federal Election is a nail biter for sure!
Harper hasn't helped the oil and gas industry, he's exacerbated a groundswell of grassroots opposition to it by suppressing data, gutting the review process, and spying on environmentalist groups to the point where nobody trusts the official process to make fair and balanced decisions anymore, they're just there to rubberstamp decisions made in advance. By ignoring environmentalism, they've removed the social license to proceed, which has kept any and all pipelines from being built. The trust is gone, the disrespect is palpable! Besides, Harper could have balanced budgets for years without the tax cuts he made, the billions he squandered on feathering pillows with thing like the G7 meeting, and without downloading all of the costs to the provinces, who will just be in debt instead of the feds, which is the main thing.
But their worst crimes are the ones against knowledge. What they've done to the science climate in Canada is beyond what you can imagine, not to mention muzzling the entire civil service and cancelling the long form census. I cannot support people who try to keep us ignorant!
But their worst crimes are the ones against knowledge. What they've done to the science climate in Canada is beyond what you can imagine, not to mention muzzling the entire civil service and cancelling the long form census. I cannot support people who try to keep us ignorant!
Which is the precisely why I am at Minnesota for my PhD in the first place (particle cosmology is a support, not an excuse). These crimes against knowledge made international headlines and, together, form the single largest item of Canadian politics in terms of international coverage in the past 4 years or so. More than Mike Duffy, more than squandering money on single-engined F35s, and the only thing that comes close is pipelines (Keystone XL, Énergie Est, Northern Gateway)...
Perhaps I'm wrong but the US would simply commit different crimes against knowledge (particle cosmology, however, does not fall under the purview of the crimes I am thinking of).
I am not "Writing it off" - I just don't see it as an attractive place to live.
Safety is the first thing people consider when deciding where to live, and crime in Chicago isn't just a small issue people talk in other cities. It is one of the most dangerous cities in the US, along with Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore etc. I don't think it is necessary to post a link here to show the stats.
It is not that bad? How bad is "that bad"? It is probably hard to find another city in developed countries outside the US which has the same number of violent crimes as Chicago, and it is "not that bad"? I guess like coldness, crime in the US has a different criterion.
And the sharp wealth contrast between the wealthy north and the poverty stricken south isn't something I love to see either - I was fine with that a few years ago cuz in theory you don't ever need to go to south Chicago, guess I have higher standard now. In comparison Jane and Finch is like a middle class neighbourhood if put in Chicago.
Yes, different standards for different people. You don't have a clue what is, or isn't dangerous. Your attitude reminds me of someone insisting on wearing a parka when it's 60 degrees out-the antithesis of hardy or tough.
Canada will always be more than its business climate, but the economic well-being of its people and median incomes will always be closely tied to the business climate. There's a reason that under Harper, the median Canadian income surpassed the United States for the first time in history. Canada has been far better managed for the past decade.
That may be more of an indictment of the evolution of the US job market. Years, decades of offshoring well-paying jobs and replacing them with minimum wage ones. As the catalyst of the great recession, they obviously got hit hard.
Harper has kept a steady ship in terms of economy, but that does not mean an alternative party would have fared worse. It is the liberal government that left Harper in a highly enviable position to start with prior to the collapse -spending had already been cut, the surplus was around 13 Billion then. Finance Minister Paul Martin was praised and consulted by the international finance/banking community for his work. Without the solid foundation, the earlier Harper years would not have been so rosy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blimp
That's the only real solution to diversify more and avoid boom-and-bust cycles, but 0 of the 3 candidates have proposed something like that.
Well, Justin Trudeau did propose to invest in the high tech sector. Something that will hopefully help our competitiveness with this TPP signed. The manufacturing jobs aren't coming back when you're competing with countries with far less in terms of standard of living.
Like Natnasci, I would personally never vote for Harper -no matter his economic record. He has done too much to subvert the electoral process -robocalls, with-holding information, undermining journalism and science, passing omnibus bills a magnitude greater in size compared what was previously done. Why if not to keep the electorate less informed and thus less empowered? He simply sets a too dangerous a precedent.
He also tends to favor the west, his base of power -oil, beef, wheat at the expense of say green energy and dairy. In many ways this is fair, but at the same time, certainly does not convince me one bit to vote for him.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
)
