There’s a saying that’s perfect for Michael Ignatieff’s Liberal Party. Stupidity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results.
The Liberal leader is embarking on yet another Pan-Canadian tour to bring “a simple message to 20 Conservative, NDP and Bloc Québécois-held ridings that don’t yet have a Liberal MP: After 5 years under Stephen Harper’s rule, Canadian families, and Canada, are worse off.”
The problem with the tour from the outset is that it isn’t even true.
Canada has rebounded from the past economic recession faster than anybody else in the G7, and according to the OECD is recovering somewhat faster than most other advanced economies. If Canadians are worse off in certain ways than they were in 2005, it’s difficult to blame the Conservatives. I don’t recall Stephen Harper forcing people to take on burdens of debt, mortgages and car payments they couldn’t afford in an uncertain economy.
Certainly, the Conservative Party could have run a tighter ship from the outset. This government has outspent all previous governments, including the previous Liberal ones, in practically every category imaginable. They have refused to make unpopular, but necessary, spending cuts. And our children stand to inherit at least $100 billion of new debt just to get through the recession.
But it isn’t as though the Liberals would have had it any other way. Their sole point of attack against the Conservatives could be on economic grounds, but they don’t have a leg to stand on that front either.
Michael Ignatieff is busy announcing a new universal program that would cost the taxpayers a minimum of $1 billion in new debt every year. And he says he’ll pay for it the easy way: by cutting the next scheduled corporate tax cut. The very tax cuts that have probably contributed to Canada’s quickest recovery from the recession.
The very idea that cancelling tax cuts while increasing spending is the easiest way to pay for a new program is wrongheaded. The new Family Care Plan would include a six-month benefit for people to take time off work to care for ill family members. Which makes this essentially an expansion of the Employment Insurance program.
The belief it would only cost $1 billion is rather naive. As the baby boomers gray more every year, entering their vulnerable late sixties and early seventies, the chances of year-over-year increases to the program cost are guaranteed. What Canada saves in the $6 billion corporate tax cut would be lost in program spending and economic growth as companies hire more workers with the tax savings.
As for Ignatieff’s latest Canadian tour, it’s a real head-scratcher. Recently arrived from the beaches of yet another winter vacation (I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Canadian politician who travels more than the Liberal leader), he wants to go on the road to bring the message that Canadians are worse off in 2011 than 2005.
You know, when expatiate Indian Mohandas Gandhi returned from South Africa to travel across India in 1915 in order to re-experience the country he had left behind for 27 years, he did so one time. He didn’t continue touring the country over and over and over again.
Ignatieff has done the university tour. The college tour. The high school tour. The town hall tour. The Liberal Express tour. It may be time to give it a rest. This compulsive need to go somewhere all the time suggests a missed opportunity as a member of a rock band.
Well sure. It may not be true.
It is also not true that the Green Shift was a tax on everything, the Liberals are going to raise the GST, the Liberals support terrorists before their own troops etc.
I do not quarrel with your argument that people should not be swayed. I simply point out that is what political parties do. I don’t like it when the CPC lie, and you don’t like it when the opposition lies.
I don’t think you should worry about Ignatieff’s tour though. If you are correct that it will get him no where then there is no reason for you to be concerned.
Excellent post. We agree the amount of spending has given many fiscal conservatives something to complain about.
The left can’t help themselves and won’t acknowledge the praise from in and outside regarding our foreign and economic policies.
I do think given the minority, the balancing act in keeping the opposition divided and the results you highlighted this Conservative government deserves our continued support.
If Europe and US do not repeat another meltdown sovereign debt or currency war, Canada is well placed to pay down the debt without repeating the drastic cuts in the 1990′s.
Liberals claimed the Green Shift was revenue neutral. It was not. Dion later promised to use the revenue to pay for new policies.
The Liberals are on record for raising taxes to pay for their many entitlement programs.
From the GST to corporate rate that came into effect on January 1, 2011.
The Liberals will have to introduce bills to raise the GST, Corporate tax rates.
(Don’t bother asking for links, you are free to do your own research)
“Ignatieff has done the university tour. The college tour. The high school tour. The town hall tour. The Liberal Express tour.”
Actually it’s all simply a means of keeping Ignatieff in the media spotlight, and has absolutely nothing to do with connecting with real Canadians.
A few Liberals on twitter have said as much. They’re also suggesting it’s the only way the Libs can raise money.
The Liberals lost $680k in 2010 vs 2009 for the 3rd Qtr on tour.
Are you suggesting the relentless touring is slowing down the losses?
How about the daycare tour followed by the spermbank tour: You can’t get at them too young and turn them into Liberal …. LOL Well, not if you abort them first.
I have done my own research. That is why I know you are talking through your hat – yet again.
I’m waiting for the under-the-bus-tour.
YES,Gayle knows everything about lies by the Liberals.Do they ever tell the truth Gayle ??.Do you have a copy of their FAMOUS red book Gayle.Did they keep even 1 promise from that book???I suppose you supported getting rid of the GST like Chretien EH! Gayle.He promised to do that several times.What is it about your Liberal leaders and telling lies turns you on Gayle.Oh and since you do your own research Gayle,,What is it that the Liberals stand for??What exactly is their platform other than getting back into power and control of the treasury .You sure can find argument with everything PM Harper does,is there anything that the Liberals do other than lie??What have they accomplished or helped the Government do in the last 5 years Gayle..Now that will keep you busy for awhile eh!
Bert,
Don’t be hard on Gayle she likes to pretend she is not a Liberal.
It’s like being a Leafs fan. Her team and her party keep putting out a sub standard product because she knows most of them keep showing up regardless of the score.
The track record of drastic cuts in 1990′s clearly mesh with the rhetoric on Liberals tacking left and being compassionate.
I am confident raising taxes on Employers and the working class again was necessary caring by the Liberals.
The AECL-Maple Reactor Chalk River boondoggle is another example of Liberal compassion.
Refusing to spend money and give our military the best equipment because Liberals are concerned about our sons and daughters they put in harm’s way.
Their rescue of Dutch soldiers or those in Rwanda clearly show the level of compassion of the Federal Liberals.
The neglect on our reserves and just lip service refusing to hold the band councils accountable.
Clearly the left have a track record of compassion and balanced budgets on the most vulnerable they are proud of.
I am thankful we have not repeated the corruption and scandals from the decade of darkness.
I am thankful Canada has weathered the storm the BEST of the developed economies.
Nearly 700,000 Canadians were moved off the income tax rolls through changes made in the first two years of the Conservatives coming to office. (That was 2% of our population)
The problem is provincial Provincial Liberals in BC, ON, QC, NB have stepped in raised fees, taxes instead of following the Federal example.
When Canadians follow the example of voters in New Brunswick and sweep the collectivist left from power can Canada truly row together in the same direction.
After the Berlin Wall fell many in Gayles camp blamed capitalism, greed and Conservatism for their problems.
Liberalism once believed in smaller government and personal responsibility.
The extreme left took over and now it has become about stat-ism and control over the individual freedoms.
That is pretty funny bert.
First, let me say yet again, that being a critic of Harper does not make one a liberal. You and CS here have a real hard time understanding that rather basic and simple concept, but I think I know why. It is the same mentality that holds that any criticism of Harper must be the result of bias, no matter what the facts say. It is all about how conservatives SAY they are about personal responsibility, but ACT the complete opposite.
So while it is real cute and all the way you ask me about promises from an election 17 years ago, why don’t we concentrate on one that was 5 years ago?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/334166/Conservative-Party-of-Canada-Federal-Election-Platform-2006
I am still waiting for the government to be more accountable. I cannot help but notice that whole “Wait times guarantee” seems to have disappeared completely off the map. For a party that did not promise much, they sure delivered very very little. Must be all that proroguing and killing their own legislation that holds them back.
“I am thankful Canada has weathered the storm the BEST of the developed economies.”
Me too! Thank you Prime Minister Chretien and Finance Minister Martin for being smart enough to say “no” to the banks, and to ensure they stayed strongly regulated (what was Harper’s position on those regulations again?). I know that Harper did not even know the recession was coming, but thanks to the LPC’s strong fiscal management Canada has done all right despite that.
Poor Gayle the apologist and revisionist for a party she defends.
Thank you for repeating the Liberal talking points faithfully. You have not problem giving credit to the Liberals for their DRASTIC cuts in offloading Billions to the provinces in Health Care, Education and Social Services in order to balance the “federal books”.
I have said the Liberals in the 1990s were not caring or compassionate. The current government biggest spending is restoring those neo-liberal cuts to Health (30% since 2006, 5% per year) Education and Social Services above inflation. Equalization payments to provinces and foreign aid was raised to $5 billion during a recession. They did not punish women or children to balance the federal books.
Only the heartless left-liberals refuses to acknowledge a compassionate Conservative agenda.
The left don’t like people and blame them for CAGW. They want the state to follow the lead of China and increase population control. They want large state planning from Ottawa and more regulation.
Why do the left demand the poorest nations and visible minorities with state funded abortions?
Try again Gayle, our PM gave heads up concern over US economic storm clouds. It was given in December 2007 and your team called it fear mongering.
Our PM campaign promises in 2008 was 1/3 of the other parties.
Our PM did NOT talk down the economy and bad mouth our country. That was your team. They still do every day.
They feel Canada does not deserve a seat at the UN. Why do Liberals think Americans should control our exports in Oil from Alberta?
Are those CSIS concerns about your friends?
Liberals, NDP and Bloc want to raise business, payroll taxes on employers and employees.
The CPC limited the increase and will balance the EI fund slowly during the recovery vs the opposition a few months ago who tried to raise it by 30%. The same three stooges want to raise corporate taxes in this fragile recovery to pay for more entitlement programs.
Red Tape Panel
..many of the city’s business owners would rather Ottawa focus on more productive means to help them through their day-to-day operations, like a substantial reduction in their taxes.
Kevin Young, owner of the Wine Kitz stores in Terminal Park and on Metral Drive, said high taxes are the biggest complaint he has and it’s one he claims is shared by the majority of businesses in the city. He said an overabundance of paperwork is not high on his list of business concerns and it’s not on the list of many of his peers that he has talked to.
http://www.canada.com/Taxes+more+troubling+than+tape/4114459/story.html
If you ran a business employed people you would understand the real concerns.
Property, Energy costs, taxes are up, taxes per employees are up.
So about those banking regulations that are responsible for the fact Canada came through the recession relatively unscathed. Not to mention that surplus Harper frittered away…
Hey, and remember way back when, over 2 whole years ago now, during an election campaign, when Harper claimed Canada would avoid the recession and he would not take the country into deficit? I can understand why you would want to ignore that to refer to some obscure comment he made a year earlier than that, what with the FACTS going against your little novel here.
I know, I know. It is much easier for you to change the topic than acknowledge facts.
Thanks for playing though.
Nice little story. And what did that have to do with my post again? Oh yeah. Nothing. Nothing at all.
ha ha ha ha ha
“Red Tape Panel”
Yay! Another commission to study something and make recommendations the government may or may not implement. You conservatives do love your tax payer funded commissions, don’t you.
Repeating the talking points from the Liberals a third time? No new updates from the LPOC?
No points Gayle. I already covered the the economic storm clouds in December 2007 PM year end address your team attacked.
Kudos again for blaming the Global recession on Canada and our government for helping extend EI for 5 weeks and injecting billions in cooperation with the Liberal led provinces and cities to soften and speed up the recovery (FACT).
Keep talking about the over taxation and drastic cuts to healthcare by the Liberals as a sign of the compassion from the LEFT.
It only reinforces the Liberal-left don’t like humans and want to regulate them like China.
I applaud the efforts on behalf of the Liberal-left coaltion on this blog. Bill Clinton had Monica and Ignatieff as you.
Just curious do you get a discount on your dry cleaning?
Never mind. I am confident you don’t let anything go to waste.
It’s cute how you keep avoiding the point.
Take care CS.
OOOOO Monica Lewinksi. Your big analytical comment is to suggest I perform oral sex on Michael Ignatieff. Like a true conservative supporter, when the facts let you down you go for the personal attack.
Ha ha ha ha ha
Did you just call Bill Clinton a liar?
Nothing personal Gayle, Monica was very supportive of the Democratic leadership and you have an passion for the Liberals on these blogs. You apparently agree with the Liberal-left raising taxes on businesses, raising carbon taxes on the most vulnerable to help them save the earth from overheating.
BTW no points Gayle. Keep trying.
It might because you live in Redmonton, Alberta you are spoiled with lower provincial taxes.
Will you be voting for the Wild Rose Party?
Oh, I don’t take it personally CS. It is just a sign of your weak argument and your lesser intellect that you would resort to such childish slurs.