Harper’s economy gets dismal grade
Re Economics of the heart? Yes! Opinion Aug. 21
Jim Stanford is a fine example of Rick Salutin’s notion of an economist with heart. Recently, he produced a study comparing Canada’s economy under Stephen Harper’s reign with earlier ones, and with those of other countries.
Canadians who keep on voting for the Conservatives should at least read some of that study, which concluded: “Canada’s economy has never performed worse, since the end of World War II, than under the present Conservative government. The Harper government ranks last among the nine postwar governments.
“Prime Minister Harper’s claim that Canada’s economy is ‘the envy of the entire world’ is sharply at odds with the international data. Canada’s economy falls in the lower half of all OECD countries under the Harper government, according to population-adjusted indicators of job-creation and GDP growth.” William Shore, Sutton
Stephen Harper has been boasting of the 43 trade agreements Canada has, implying that this somehow is good for our economy and a tribute to his economic policies. He neglects to mention that of the agreements he has signed with 38 countries since 2006, we have a trade surplus with only one, Norway.
We are actually supporting the economies of the other 37 countries although this includes countries of the European Union with which he signed an agreement in principle but which has never been settled nor finalized by the governments of any of the countries including Canada and is currently in limbo.
Of the other five countries with which we had deals before 2006, we had a surplus with only one, the U.S., and that has fallen drastically as the auto industry deserts us for Mexico and Southern U.S. states. Other than the U.S., Mexico and Korea, trade with all the others is minuscule and a tiny part of our global trade.
Mr. Harper has a well-honed skill in dropping figures without context to confuse the voters and cover up his incredibly poor economic skills. Denis McKee, Toronto