The following response is directed at BUTLER and LaRue. I'm not going to bother to quote you because frankly, you're both just full of shit and kicking around anecdotes and your opinions as if they were facts.
So let's look at statistics and numbers shall we (that demonstrate that Harper is an economic buffoon).
Let's compare Harper to his liberal competition on the economy.
Harper - average GDP growth = 1.6 measly percent on average. That's THE WORST of any Prime Minister in 60 years.
Paul Martin = 2.9 percent (with a balanced budget and paying off debt to boot)
Jean Chretien (who owes it all to Paul Martin doesn't he) = 3.5 percent
Brian Mulroney (king of debt) was 2.3 percent
Lester Pearson and Louis St. Laurent = both at an astounding 5.4 percent
In the last 3 years, we have lagged the USA, Britain, Germany, Australia in terms of economic performance.we
Canadian GDP has now contracted in the last 5 months straight (another recession, second on Harper's watch, though you can argue you can't blame him for 2008 and I would agree with you.) We are THE ONLY G7 NATION WHOSE ECONOMY IS CONTRACTING AND IN A RECESSION. THE ONLY ONE. I lay that squarely at the feet of Harper and his idiotic handling of the economy and the country.
Unemployment back up to 6.8 percent and climbing. The worst it's been since Mulroney.
Government Spending under Harper is 13.1 percent of GDP. Since Brian Mulroney, it's been at 12.5 to 13.5 percent. (It was actually least under Chretien.)
Budget Deficits = Stephen Harper has given Canada 7 deficit years IN A ROW. Chretien and Martin not only balanced the budget for 10 years in a row, they paid down the debt.
So where is the economic genius boys?
Harper has put all of his government's energy into building a fucking pipeline that the Americans don't want. He's damaged our relations with the USA and their government. He has allowed manufacturing, engineering, research, development in Ontario and the east to wither and die on the vine. You can argue about China this and enevitable that, but that's horseshit. The Germans are an engineering and manufacturing powerhouse and their labour costs are far more than Canadian and they get 12 weeks vacation per year (by the end of their careers). Canadian productivity is terrible and our innovation is terrible because we do not have a government that fosters that kind of development or encourages education or research or start up companies. All the Harper conservatives have cared about is western resources because it was an easy play. Just dig the shit out of the ground and sell it at whatever the world price is. Duh.
The Harper government are a bunch of catatonic zombies when it comes to new ideas, new thinking and encouraging innovation.
There are guys on here who have mentioned C36 and Butler (in particular) scoffs at that. But I don't. C36 demonstrates what really and truly matters to these western based Reformers. Legislating morality. Not only has there been C36, but now C51 (which I hugely oppose) and there has been social legislation against abortion (albeit a private members bill) and the long gun registry and the gutting of environmental law (to help them dig that black goo out of the ground) You add all this up and it shows that the Harper conservatives are very socially conservative and rather than worry about the economy, they worry about legislating sex.
So to sum it all up, I don't give a shit about what either of you say because you're both wrong (about the economy and Harper) and the proof is in the numbers.
I'm far more worried about the economy should Harper be re-elected as opposed to either Justin or Tom Mulcair. This is based on statistical facts. (And I also oppose any kind of national daycare plan either as I figure that I'm willing to pay for a kid's education, but not for baby sitting services.)
