A while ago, a reader wrote in stating that I was bashing the Conservatives. He seemed concerned that I was being harsh on the Conservatives and the economy.
Fair enough. After all, these columns are simply my opinions - they are how I see things. Hence, the title of the articles and their placement on the opinion page.
However, the author of the letter misconstrued my intent. The reason I have written about the Conservatives and their failed economic policies is not because I am anti-Conservative but rather I am opposed to governments which claim to have some special ability to "run the economy."
(Indeed, how much influence a government has on the economy is a long running debate I have with one of my colleagues. We have very differing views on the subject and it makes for some fun discussions!)
Furthermore, the Conservatives are the party in power and if you accept the premise that governments somehow control the economy - that is, government is somehow to blame when things are going well - then government must also shoulder the blame when things are going poorly.
One cannot say, "Look how great
Mr. Harper is at creating jobs," but then say "Everyone knows the last two recessions have nothing to do with
Mr. Harper." Either he is in control or he is not. It can't be that he is only responsible for the good things and never the bad.
Personally, I don't think Mr. Harper and the Conservatives are responsible for either the good or bad that has happened economically over the past decade. Indeed, I don't think governments should be blamed or praised for the success or failure of the economy.
I do think economic factors are well beyond their ability to control.
That is not to say that they can't influence things.
They can certainly give tax breaks which may or may not help. They can certainly provide loopholes so that $200 billion in corporate profits can be funneled off-shore to tax-free havens. They can certainly instigate trade deals that undercut the manufacturing sectors of our economy.
But actually run the economy? No.
They are not capable of doing that for a whole host of reasons.
And yet, the Conservatives are running a campaign that seems to be trying to make this election entirely about the economy. The latest advertisements go so far as to say: "Proven Leadership for a Stronger Economy."
They start by saying: "This election is about the economy."
If that is your declared battleground, then you should have the record to defend it. The Conservatives don't.
These advertisements trumpet the accomplishments of the Conservatives - "We came out of the last recession faster and stronger than other countries."
But was that the Conservatives' doing or the policies and legislation they inherited from the previous Liberal government? After all, it was the Liberals under Jean Chretien who finally managed to generate budget surpluses and started to pay down the national debt.
It was Paul Martin's strong leadership as Finance Minister which fixed the government's balance sheet.
The ads go on to say: "Justin's promising to run deficits. Deficits. He says deficits are good." This is delivered with a tone of derision.
Yet, it is the Conservative government that has run deficit budgets for the past six years. They have had the largest single deficit in Canadian history, surpassing the debacle that was the Mulroney years. They have increased our national debt by $176 billion.
But now they are deriding Mr. Trudeau for the same policies? Talking about barring the barn door after the horse has escaped! Saying "we can do it but you can't," is simply wrong.
Their ads go on to say: "The NDP? They can't manage money and they don't understand that business creates jobs." Seriously? Again, given the Conservative penchant for overspending, they shouldn't be throwing rocks in a glass house.
They have repeatedly demonstrated they cannot manage our money. They have overspent. They have wasted billions on G8 summits and other expenditures. They have closed veteran's offices. They have promised to spend billions more on fighter/bombers for our military which won't do the job.
And with their free trade agreements, they seem intent on creating jobs overseas. China is doing very well, thank you!
These ads finish with the line: "Stephen Harper isn't perfect, but when it comes to the economy, we can depend on him."
If that is the central plank of your campaign, then the Conservatives need to have a much better record than they do. But more to the point, none of the parties are ever going to take us back to the days when our economy was booming. It is not the world we live in any more.
So let's frame the political questions about the things that really matter - such as education, health, research and development and social justice.
