Prime Minister Harper has overseen the worst economic growth since R.B. Bennett in the Great Depression. 1/2
— Justin Trudeau, MP (@JustinTrudeau) February 7, 2014
It may not be a fair comparison but Justin Trudeau’s tweet is at least accurate.
The country has had two prime ministers from Calgary and each man’s tenure coincided with the two worst economic recessions of the last century.
Continue reading On economic growth, Liberals rank PMs from first to worst
Ever wonder how much it costs the federal government to send out a press release announcing it is handing out your money? I have. And so, apparently, did Liberal MP Scott Andrews.
Last month, Andrews formally asked the government, through an Order Paper question in the House of Commons, about the costs associated with a March 11, 2013 event in which Peter Penashue who was then the Conservative MP for Labrador as well as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs announced that Ottawa would invest $1.35 million so that the towns of North West River and Sheshatshiu would get improved access to high-speed internet services.
Here’s Andrews’ question: Continue reading The Harper Government Press Releases: At $500 a pop
Today, the federal NDP held a Parliament Hill press conference during which MPs Peter Julian and Hélène LeBlanc announced, for the first time, that New Democrats believe the federal government ought to reject a $15-billion bid by the Chinese state-owned firm CNOOC for the Calgary-based oil-and-gas producer Nexen.
In doing this, they certainly have public opinion on their side. Two Abacus Data polls commissioned by Sun News Network show the idea of the Chinese taking over Nexen is deeply unpopular in every region of the country and among supporters of all parties. (Poll 1 | Poll 2)
This was a boneheaded move politically from a party that, in my judgement, has made some otherwise very smart moves to counter any number of stereotypes its political opponents are trying to foster that an NDP government would kill jobs, investment and prosperity.
Continue reading NDP Nexen decision a boneheaded political move
The line story on Bay Street’s favourite newspaper, The Globe and Mail, had a great eye-catching headline courtesy of Bank of Canada Mark Carney:
Carney, responding to questions from reporters, noted that Canadian companies (not including banks and insurance companies) now have $562 billion in cash in the bank, up from $370 billion in 2009. That $562 billion represents about 13.2 per cent of total assets — an all-time high — compared to 10.3 per cent of total assets in 2009. Continue reading Carney vs Myers: Economists face off over "dead money"
The Prime Minister’s Office just distributed the following letter that Stephen Harper has just released to his caucus colleagues:
Prime Minister Harper’s Letter to Caucus – Jan 2012 Continue reading Harper to his caucus: "Dear Colleague: It's been quite a year …"
