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Layton names the NDP price for supporting the 2011 Tory budget – and avoiding an election

While Michael Ignatieff headed west to Vancouver to begin a 20-city 11-day tour ostensibly to build support and momentum for the spring political seasons that could include a federal election, NDP Leader Jack Layton was on a tour of his own. Last night, he was in Sudbury, Ont.

I'm intrigued by some of the language he used in his Sudbury speech and will presumably use again in the future when it comes to the issue of bringing down the government this spring over the budget. I believe Layton and the NDP could be convinced to vote for the budget, despite the presence of corporate tax cuts, if the NDP can, in Layton's words, “get things done for Canadians.”

So what's his price for support of the budget? A boost in CPP and GIS; cutting taxes on home heating oil; and restoration of a home renovation tax credit. That doesn't sound too hard to do, now, does it?

Here's a couple of excerpts from Layton's Sudbury speech:e

“I’m ready for an election. But I’d rather get things done . . .”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m ready to fight an election. New Democrats are ready to run the most ambitious campaign in our history. We have the money in the bank … and over the coming days, I’ll be announcing some tremendous new candidates. Candidates that’ll help us defeat Conservatives across the country. But until then, we have a responsibility to get things done for Canadians. Mr. Harper and Mr. Ignatieff have thrown up their hands — given up.”

“This is the kind of practical leadership I've always tried to bring to the table. Like in 2009, when we reached out to other parties and secured help for 190,000 hard-hit families.”

“So to Mr. Harper and Mr. Ignatieff, I say: Surely, there are some practical things that we can accomplish together this spring. First of all, surely all parties can agree to strengthen people’s guaranteed public pension . . . New Democrats are fighting to make sure stronger public pensions are part of the next budget. We’re looking for practical steps here. Like a modest increase in the guaranteed Canada Pension Plan. And an increase to the GIS, so seniors can afford the everyday basics they need. With a little cooperation, we can get it done.”

“Here’s a second area where party leaders should be able to find common ground — reducing your home heating bills. New Democrats have called on Mr. Harper work with us to drop the 5% federal sales tax on your home heating. We’d also bring back the eco-renovation tax credit — so families can make their homes more efficient to cut their bills even further. We're not giving up on this. And we’re going to fight to get you one in the next budget. “

Liberal Express 2 hits the road; Tories and NDP ain't impressed

Adam Goldenberg, a Vancouverite who is Michael Ignatieff's speechwriter, blogs about the launch of Liberal leader's 20/11 tour:

After kicking things off on Parliament Hill — in Scott Bradley’s riding of Ottawa Centre — Michael Ignatieff will head to the Carlingwood Family Restaurant for a rally with the next Member of Parliament for Ottawa West–Nepean, Anita Vandenbeld.

The riding of Ottawa Centre is, for the moment, represented by the NDP. Ottawa West–Nepean, meanwhile, is the temporary stomping ground of Stephen Harper’s salvo-swatting, spittle-spewing spokesman, John “You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angry. Which Is Always” Baird. Liberals were within spitting distance of winning both ridings in the last election, and we’ve got exceptional, hard-working candidates in Scott and Anita. Ottawa will be Grit after the next writ. Just watch us.

At today’s press conference, you can expect Michael Ignatieff to point out that it has been five years since Stephen Harper and his Conservatives took power. Throughout the 20/11 tour, we’ll be asking Canadians a simple question: Are we better off than we were five years ago? (Don’t take it from me, but Michael Ignatieff might just have an answer to that question.)

Later today, Michael Ignatieff will head west to Vancouver, home of the number one team in the NHL. From there, he’ll fly to Winnipeg, then Ontario, then Atlantic Canada, then Québec, before returning to Ottawa with the entire Liberal team in tow for a landmark National Caucus meeting.

It’s a whirlwind tour at a whirlwind time in Canadian politics, and we’ll have all the action right here on www.liberal.ca.

Let’s get this Party started, shall we?

Right on cue, the Conservative Alert-Info-Alert bot leapt into action. The memo sent out to all Conservative MPs and Senators reads:

Ignatieff launches pre-election tour

In the clearest indication yet that he has his sights set on forcing a needless election that will distract our national efforts from creating jobs and sustaining our fragile economic recovery, Michael Ignatieff—fully rested after a three week vacation—started his New Year by launching a national political tour. The message of this tour according to an unnamed strategist is that “you have to vote Liberal” and targets ridings he believes he can pick up from other parties (Canadian Press, January 9, 2011).

It’s no surprise that Ignatieff’s focus for 2011 is on an election. Clearly trying to lay the public relations ground-work, he admitted as much in his year end interviews before Christmas: “We are ready for an election, and we think Canadians are ready for an election.” (Canadian Press, December 16, 2010).

We, again, restate our commitment to not provoke an election that is unnecessary at this time. With economic recovery in sight, the last thing we need is the disruption of a needless election or the uncertainty reckless Coalition.

As Ignatieff travels Canada calling for an unnecessary election our Government will keep its focus on jobs and growth as we work towards a budget that will keep our fragile economic recovery on track while bringing the budget back to balance by 2015/2016.

Meanwhile, NDP wags are dismissing the 11-day tour as “Mission Impossible 2011.”

Susan Crean's National Archives Blues: Has this national institution lost its way?

The Literary Review of Canada publishes an interesting an important essay by Susan Crean (and leaves her byline off the Web version) about an important institution in Canada's cultural life: Library and Archives Canada. Some excerpts:

The biggest pressure, however, comes from the digital revolution, which has transformed the world of documentary production—and with it the work of archivists—while irrevocably changing public expectations. Digital access is now seen as a quasi right and digitization as a means of mass democratization. So it is no surprise that this has become the central preoccupation of LAC and has apparently led to a radical reassessment of its purpose. In a speech to the Association of Canadian Archivists last June the new chief archivist Daniel Caron [Caron's speeches are online here but this speech is not there – Akin] —the first chief archivist not to have a degree in history, but rather a PhD in economics—spoke of the “public memory monopoly once exercised by archives,” bemoaning the fact that the “documentary moment” in the analogue world is hopelessly long. Archivists are lost “within an anachronistic time and space,” he contends, noting that in the age of self-documentation, information needs to be ubiquitous, instant and unmediated.

In late 2009, Caron also released a set of “Modernization Papers” addressing the challenge of digitization within LAC. These are strategic planning documents, largely concerned with “management process” and written in a style that eschews description and the active voice. As a result, there is no sense of the archives as a living institution and participant in the intellectual life of the country.

…

On a broader, more philosophic level, the notion of digitization as an agent of equality needs a bit of scrutiny. Contrary to the rhetoric, it is not really value-free. Databases are like maps; they are representations of reality and similarly model a set of relationships, for example between author and title and language (or land and water and altitude), which means that selection is always involved.

… Digitization is no guarantee of access, either. Far from being more accessible I experienced LAC as having disappeared behind its website and into a fog of MBA speak. The site is not for neophytes; it assumes you know what a fonds is, and what a MIKAN number is for, and that the accession number is likely to be the search key, which is fair enough. But where are the glossary and FAQs for those who do not know?

Are the state-owned United Arab Emirates airlines subsidized?

On the one hand …

“Categorically, unequivocally and emphatically, we have never been subsidized,” says Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airlines which, along with Etihad airlines, has been unsuccessful in winning Canadian government approval for new landing rights for its ~~giant A380 superjumbos~~ Boeing 777s at airports in Vancouver and Calgary.

Tim Clark: Subsidy debate has airline boss in a spin [Registration required]

Since the subsidy question will not go away, Mr Clark details the support that got Emirates flying. In 1985 Sheikh Mohammed gave Maurice Flanagan, the airline’s first managing director, $10m.

“He said, ‘Go and set up the airline.’ He gave us two 727s from the Dubai Royal Air Wing and built a training facility. In total it worked out at $50m,” Mr Clark says. “That’s all we have had. And he was absolutely clear: ‘You don’t come to me for money. You will buy your own aircraft.’ And we have done ever since.”

TakeoffEh.Com: “Clark says he will resign the day after anyone can prove that Emirates is subsidized by government.”

Emirates has also published an eight-page rebuttal to various arguments, including many made by Canadians, that it is subsidized. “Subsidy: The Myths and the Facts” [PDF]

On the other hand …

Schulich School of Business professor Fred Lazar (March,2010): “If air transportation services were covered by the GATT, Air Canada would have had the Canadian Government launch a countervailing duty case against Emirates, the national airline of Dubai, and Etihad, the national airline of the UAE. And most likely, it would have won the case since both of these airlines (and the third amigo, Qatar), are subsidized by their respective governments. There isn’t a level playing field in this industry. However, this industry is not yet covered by the GATT.

The governments backing the three amigos (they are all owned by their respective governments) continue to invest heavily in building up their airports. Abu Dhabi is investing an additional €32-€40-billion in its airport; Qatar is investing €8.7-billion in the airport in Doha; and Dubai, assuming it can get the financing, has planned an investment of up to €26-billion in the Dubai World Central Airport. I doubt that their airlines will be picking up much of the tab on these investments.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon (Nov 2010): “I made it perfectly clear that we’re not prepared to put Canadian workers out of their jobs by allowing a subsidized foreign airline to literally flood the Canadian market.”

New York Times (Oct. 2010): “Some aircraft financiers, however, were skeptical of Emirates’ claims. One European banker, who would speak only anonymously because his bank provides loans to the airline, estimated that nearly 50 percent of the Emirates jet purchases had been subsidized by Western export credit agencies. Emirates raised eyebrows again this summer with two more huge jet orders — including plans to buy an additional 32 Airbus A380 jets valued at $11 billion at list prices, bringing its total orders for the twin-deck superjumbo to 90. In July, Emirates placed another huge order, for 30 Boeing 777s.”

USA Today (Dec. 2007): “Emirates' operating costs are significantly lower than those of its European or U.S. rivals, according to Michael Dyment, an aviation analyst at Nexa Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C., corporate finance group. He credited Dubai's zero tax rate, the airline's ability to tap credit markets to buy new airplanes because of Dubai's good credit standing, and to the fact that legacy costs like pension burdens are low. It also helps to operate in a country where the laws prohibit trade unions.

“One of the key advantages they have over others is that the airline itself is not subject to the same labor rules,” Dyment said. “They are able to keep organized labor away, so they don't have a unionized environment that has been detrimental to other carriers.”

Millions for Tories, not much for others in federal forestry program

In the fall of 2009, the federal government sent up a $1 billion fund called the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. The goal of the program was to provide pulp-and-paper firms with a subsidy for the “black liquor” produced as a byproduct of the kraft paper manufacturing process. “Black liquor” can be used as a fuel.

Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was one of several government MPs to announce $278 million in disbursements from this fund bringing the total drawdown from this fund so far to $616 million. Today, Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis was in Matane, Quebec where he announced a grant of $18.9 million to the local Tembec mill.

Also: Today, we crunch the numbers on where the money is going from this program on a riding-by-riding basis:

By political colour:

Mills in Conservative ridings to receive grants: 23 worth $520.7 million
Mills in NDP ridings getting money: 8 worth $49.1 million.
Mills in BQ ridings getting money: 2 worth $43.7 million
Mills in Liberal ridings getting money: 1 worth $21 million

By province:

Mills in BC getting money: 12 worth $319.2 million
Mills in AB getting money: 6 worth $188.3 million
Mills in NB getting money: 5 worth $55.8 million
Mills in ON getting money: 5 worth $24.5 million
Mills in MB getting money: 3 worth $3.1 million
Mills in QC getting money: 2 worth $43.7 million.
No money so far for NF, NS, PE, SK

UPDATE: There may be no money from this program for NF or SK mills because, according to data I just found at Industry Canada's Web site, there are no mills in either of those provinces that produce paper other than newsprint. This program is aimed, I believe at makers of kraft paper. The Industry Canada data lists the Paper (not Newsprint) Mills so they could be kraft, tissue paper or other kinds of paper. There are 91 such mills in the country, more than half of which are in Quebec and Ontario.

Here's all the grants so far:

Plant	Location	Amount	Party	MP
Zellstoff Celgar	BC Castlegar	$40,000,000	NDP	Alex Atamanenko
Domtar	QC Windsor	$24,800,000	BQ	Andre Bellavance
Pacific Forest Industries	AB Boyle	$62,900,000	CPC	Brian Jean
Domtar	ON Espanola	$995,000	NDP	Carol Hughes
Domtar	ON Espanola	$700,000	NDP	Carol Hughes
Domtar	BC Kamloops	$24,100,000	CPC	Cathy McLeod
Domtar	BC Kamloops	$33,500,000	CPC	Cathy McLeod
Domtar	BC Kamloops	$17,300,000	CPC	Cathy McLeod
Weyerhaeuser	AB Grande Prairie	$32,000,000	CPC	Chris Warkentin
DMI	AB Peace River	$40,570,000	CPC	Chris Warkentin
Canfor	BC Prince George	$4,400,000	CPC	Dick Harris
Canfor	BC Prince George	$11,200,000	CPC	Dick Harris
Canfor	BC Prince George	$100,200,000	CPC	Dick Harris
Cariboo	BC Quesnel	$41,500,000	CPC	Dick Harris
Domtar	ON Dryden	$1,900,000	CPC	Greg Rickford
Domtar	ON Dryden	$20,800,000	CPC	Greg Rickford
Irving	NB Lake Utopia	$22,000,000	CPC	Greg Thompson
Nanaimo	BC Nanaimo	$3,560,000	NDP	Jean Crowder
Nanaimo	BC Nanaimo	$750,000	NDP	Jean Crowder
Tembec	QC Matane	$18,900,000	BQ	Jean-Yves Roy
Howe Sound	BC Port Melon	$6,000,000	CPC	John Weston
Howe Sound	BC Port Melon	$36,700,000	CPC	John Weston
AV Nackawic	NB Nackawic	$2,050,000	CPC	Mike Allen
AV Nackawic	NB Nackawic	$320,000	CPC	Mike Allen
Twin Rivers Paper	NB Edmundston	$21,000,000	LPC	Jean Claude D'Amours
Tolko	MB The Pas	$810,000	NDP	Niki Ashton
Tolko	MB The Pas	$1,260,000	NDP	Niki Ashton
Tolko	MB The Pas	$1,000,000	NDP	Niki Ashton
Cascades	ON Trenton	$83,000	CPC	Rick Norlock
West Fraser	AB Hinton	$15,000,000	CPC	Rob Merrifield
West Fraser	AB Hinton	$170,000	CPC	Rob Merrifield
West Fraser	AB Hinton	$37,680,000	CPC	Rob Merrifield
Irving	NB Saint John	$10,400,000	CPC	Rodney Weston

UAE vs Canada: Kenny vs Rae vs PMO vs Emirates Airline

Lots of sound and fury in the last few days on the continuing spat between Canada and the United Arab Emirates over landing rights for two UAE airlines and Canada's Camp Mirage:

First, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says:

“That’s just not how you treat allies, and I think tells us you better pick your friends pretty carefully in the future,” Harper told QMI Agency during a visit Friday to Welland, Ont. “I could never see [Canada] treating an ally like that. Could you imagine after 9/11 if the Americans had come to the Canadian government and said, ‘We need help on something to do with security’ [and we said] ‘Well, only if you do something on Buy America.’ I mean, give me a break.”

“When we, as a country, offer to be part of a international mission to help protect global security, then somebody comes along and uses that to try and leverage demands on our domestic airline industry, I don’t think that’s a situation we, as a country, want to be in,” Harper said. “What this teaches us in future and when we’re looking at other options is: Don’t get in a place where somebody’s going to try and use it to leverage some unrelated issue.”

To which Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airlines, had this to say:

Prime Minister Harper's comments mark the latest round in what has become a Groundhog Day cycle of myths and misrepresentation of Emirates airline. I challenge Prime Minister Harper or any member of his government to produce one shred of evidence to support the false accusations which are repeatedly reported as fact by the Canadian media.

We have stated on many occasions that Emirates is not subsidised in any way, shape or form by the Dubai government: it never has been and never will be. Our financial statements audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world's largest accounting firm, confirm that there is no evidence of subsidisation whatsoever. These accounts have been made freely available to the public through Emirates' website (www.emirates.com) and they clearly demonstrate that we do not receive any direct or indirect subsidies.

Then, Liberal Senator Colin Kenny chips in, arguing it's time to “Drop the Gloves with UAE”:

Why would I want to drop the gloves in dealing with the UAE? Because I think they're essentially a bunch of pompous thugs behaving like Canadians need them. We don't, and somebody should show them they can't treat us like the second-class citizens they hire to do virtually all the work in their seven fiefdoms.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Bob Rae, his party's foreign affairs critic, is actually in the UAE this week and, on his blog, writes:

“…the Prime Minister and his minions [are] talking about “Canada’s national interest”, without once saying what that is, pointing fingers at the other guy for being fully at fault, attacking questioners’ patriotism, judgment, and good faith, the constant repetition of attack lines, going for the head and throat each time, a never-ending barrage of name calling, good guys vs bad guys, and on it goes. … The decision [by UAE] not to renew the agreement with Canada was not a wise one … It should be possible to discuss landing rights without being accused of being a bad Canadian. “

PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas had this to say about Rae's visit:

Canadians expect that when Canadian MPs travel abroad that they represent Canada and Canadian interests. It would be extremely regrettable if canadian interests where undermined in any way. With regard to air rights, its rather surprising to see the Ignatieff Liberals take the position of the UAE, rather than defend the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy at a time when we need it most. What the UAE was asking, was not in the best interest of Canadian workers. We trust Mr. Rae will recognize that during his fact finding visit and we urge him to convey that information to the UAE Royals.

And finally, here's how all this played in The National, the English-language daily in the UAE:

[Harper's comments are] likely to stoke simmering tensions between Canada and the Emirates, analysts have warned. Some say the diplomatic damage may be permanent.

“These sorts of comments are definitely going to add to the gulf of misunderstanding between the two countries,” said Taufiq Rahim, the managing director of the advisory firm GlobeSight. “I don’t see any restoration in good relations between the UAE and Canada in the near future, if at all.”

That opinion was shared by Sultan al Mansouri, the UAE economy minister, who warned in November that cordial relations had been “destroyed” and complained of “fiery” statements from the Canadian side.

Part of the problem was that Canadian politicians had not considered the culture of diplomacy within the Emirates, said Susan Crotty, an assistant professor at the Dubai School of Government.

“In this part of the world maintaining face is very important,” she said. “For the prime minister to make such inflammatory comments publicly, it is very likely it will be viewed as a serious affront. They are going to take it more seriously than elsewhere in the world.”

Dear Julian: Congratulations! Your old friend, Susan Eng

I share the view of Rob Silver and some others that Julian Fantino's election as a Conservative MP in the riding of Vaughan, Ont. and his subsequent appointment as Minister of State (Seniors) should not be read as some grand pre-election opening gambit by the Conservative as they prepare to assault the Liberal Fortress Toronto.

I do, however, think that Fantino – love him or hate him — is a very big personality and will not want to leave his new job without getting something — anything – done. And, as I column-ize today, that could be a good thing. Long ago, Susan Eng got tangled up with Fantino's ambition while she was chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, so much so that, based on contemporary press accounts, it seems clear that it would be unlikely if they were on each others Christmas card lists. Eng is now the executive director of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) and that makes the Eng-Fantino relationship an important one for Canada's seniors. Eng and her boss at CARP, Moses Znaimer, think highly of Fantino's appointment and, as they say in the letter below that they sent to him, they are looking forward to seeing if he can bring some political juice to the senior's file.

CARP Letter of Congratulations to Minister Fantino

'Black liquor' and other subsidies: Feds have millions for forestry firms

The federal government rolled out Thursday $278 million in subsidies to private sector players in Canada's pulp and paper industry. The subsidies are part of the government's so-called Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program for the industry, a response, essentially, to the U.S. government's decision to subsdize the American industry for the use in that country of “black liquor” as a fuel. One A summary of today's Canadian handouts (to be updated as the announcements are made), all but one of which are in ridings held by Conservative MPs:

The Harper Government announced today that it is investing $21 million in the Twin Rivers Paper Company mill in Edmundston, New Brunswick.. (In the riding of Tobique–Mactaquac held by Conservative Mike Allen.)
The Harper Government announced today that it is investing $10.4 million in two Irving Paper mills in Saint John, New Brunswick … (in the riding of Saint John held by Conservative Rodney Weston)
The Harper Government’s support will help Domtar invest in energy-efficient and environment-friendly technologies at its Windsor Mill in Quebec .. (in the riding of Richmond–Arthabaska held by Bloc Quebecois André Bellavance.)
The Harper Government is investing $62.9 million in Pacific Forest Industries' mill in Boyle, Alberta (in the riding of Fort McMurray—Athabasca held by Conservative Brian Jean.)
The Harper Government is investing $41.5 million in Cariboo's Quesnel, B.C., mill (in the riding of Cariboo-Prince George held by Conservative Richard Harris)
Harper Government is investing $100.2 million in Canfor's Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, B.C. (in the riding of Cariboo-Prince George held by Conservative Dick Harris)
Harper Government is investing $17.3 million in Domtar's Kamloops, B.C., mill (in the riding Kamloops–Thompson–Cariboo held by Conservative Cathy McLeod)

A little more on Canada's “black liquor” subsidy program, courtesy of PMO communications:

The Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program provides companies with credits based on their production of black liquor ($0.16/litre) in 2009. Black liquor is a liquid by-product of the pulping process used to generate heat and power.

Firms then have until March 31, 2012, to draw on these credits to finance approved capital projects that offer demonstrable environmental benefits, such as improvements to their energy efficiency or their capacity to produce alternative energy. The program is capped at $1 billion and total payments to Canadian industry will not exceed this amount.

Thirty-eight pulp and paper mills across Canada, representing 24 companies, generated credits under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program based on their 2009 production levels of black liquor.

Jobs and politics

You may have noticed it happening already but a lot of the political messaging coming from the federal government is trying to convince voters that it is focused on job creation. Here's a good example: A new round of corporate tax cuts are about to swing into effect but you will probably not hear a Conservative suggest that tax cuts are going to a corporate fat cat — no, sir — those tax cuts are going to “job creators”. Why, here's the newly-minted Minister of State for Finance Ted Menzies doing just that Tuesday at an Ottawa press conference:

We are reducing taxes for the job creators in this country. There are many people that are still unemployed … We are trying to create the economy where our job creators, our employers, will be hiring new people.

Menzies, yesterday, was in front of reporters because he was announcing a $10 million boost to a $107-million dollar-a-year program to help employers create summer jobs for students.

Today in Windsor, Que., the first phrase from Prime Minister Stephen Harper has he announced a $25-million investment in a local pulp-and-paper plant was: “”Our government is committed to protecting and creating jobs in all of Quebec’s region.” My guess is you will see the same boilerplate on everything the government announces this spring.

Now there are a lot of metrics voters – and journalists — might use to measure the effectiveness of a particular administration. In some cases, budgetary surpluses or deficits are good proxies in understanding a government's effectiveness. Others might measure the size of the civil service over a given period. Some will focus on the number of daycare spaces. Personally, I think there's nothing more important to most Canadians than being able to count on meeting this month's mortgage or rent and that means being able to count on having a job. So, for example, if it comes to find a way to boost employment or cutting debt levels, I'm going to choose more jobs. So I pay a lot of attention to job numbers and, as a result, am particularly interested to watch how the Conservatives and their political opponents “position” themselves on this file and I'm also interested the statistics and yardsticks we use to measure job creation.

Today, TD Bank's deputy chief economist Derek Burleton and economist Sonya Gulati are out with their look at Canada's job creation record [PDF] in 2010 and their forecasts for 2011:

Tomorrow’s release of December employment numbers will close the books on a solid 2010 job market performance. Even with no change in employment in December, 2010’s tally would still reach 264K net new jobs—the strongest turnout since 2007 and enough to break through the pre-recession level of employment by 24K positions. The jobless rate fell from 8.3 per cent to an estimated 7.6 per cent.

Current labour market conditions are not as robust as meets the eye. Job creation has been concentrated in part-time positions, the public and self-employed sectors, and lower-paying industries. The good news is that 2010 saw less of a reliance on these areas.

Heading into 2011, job market conditions are expected to improve gradually, suggesting that employers will continue to meet moderate demand through increased productivity, rather than adding to their payrolls. We expect 250K net new jobs in 2011, with the Prairies doing much of the heavy lifting.

The jobs yardstick is also going to be a significant factor, in my opinion, in the six – count 'em [PDF] – six provincial or territorial elections scheduled for this fall. Back to Burleton and Gulati:

Four provinces (AB, NB, NS and ON) have yet to recoup all of the jobs lost. Five provinces (NFLD, PEI, QC, MB and SK) have yet to regain their full-time jobs lost.

Those provincial elections are happening in Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland, PEI, Manitoba and Saskatchewan — all provinces which, at the end of 2010, were still underwater when it comes to those key job creation yardsticks.

Author: admin