The recession is here. It may be short and it may be shallow. But it underscores a simple message: Stephen Harper's main claim to fame is hogwash. Tom Walkom writes:
Politically, the economy under Harper has experienced yet another recession undercuts his carefully crafted image as an economic manager.
On Tuesday, both Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and New Democratic Party chief Tom Mulcair were quick to make that point. Both cited the recession as proof that the Conservative approach is not working.
Certainly, Canada’s January to July recession does underline the fundamental flaws in Harper’s approach to the economy.
He assumed the Chinese-led resource boom would continue unabated and that the price of oil would never collapse.
He assumed that all government need do is cut taxes, encourage pipelines, sign free trade deals and do its best to keep wages down for business.
He assumed that if troubles arose, the invisible hand of the free market would sort everything out.
Harper claimed that it was his firm grip on the tiller that steered Canada through heavy waters. In fact it was the price of oil.
Harper's policy has been repeated throughout Canadian history. Historian Harold Innis called it the "resource trap."
Unfortunately, Walkom writes, so far neither Tom Mulcair or Justin Trudeau have said much about what they would do differently. Now is the time to think outside the box we've been in for the last twenty years.
2 comments:
Neither Justin nor Mulcair have a very substantial platform on all the destruction harper's near ten year reign has had on Canada and reversing the Omnibus Bills so detrimental to Canadian society as a whole. This part concerns me. Obama said the same 'Time for a change' and look what happened. Allot of the hidden agenda in the Omnibus bills would not be able to stand up to court challenges. Yet why should Canadian Citizens foot the bill to challenge each challenge themselves? Harper knew most don't have the time or the money to challenge his illicit bills. They should be retired in parliament by the new government as illegitimate not forced on the Canadian public to strike down through a court challenge. Once politicians get voted in they all seem to drink from the same cup of wine. I fear that the road harper has set us upon will not be challenged by either Justin or Mulcair.
That's definitely a danger, Mogs. Let's hope both Mulcair and Trudeau are serious about undoing the damage Harper has done.
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