Ottawa

Verbatim: Jim Flaherty, whom we have all missed lately

From the Inkless low-carbon anti-elitist Québécois-nation-friendly emailbox:

OTTAWA – Conservative candidate Jim Flaherty issued the following statement in response to televised comments made by Stéphane Dion last night:

“Last night, Mr. Dion was asked why his so-called 30-day plan – the plan he sprung during the French debate – was not in his platform, a document that was released just days earlier.  Mr. Dion said: ‘It was difficult for us to write a chapter on a U.S. economic crisis when we were preparing our platform’ (Stéphane Dion, Le téléjournal, October 6, 2008).

This is an extraordinary admission.

The American credit crunch did not start two weeks ago. It started over a year ago and it has been issue number one for every person with any understanding of economics.

Yet, for the past year, Mr. Dion has been totally oblivious to what has been going on.  And his carbon tax proves it.  At a time of global economic uncertainty, no responsible economic manager would suggest experimenting with risky new tax schemes or massive increases in government spending.

Unlike Mr. Dion, the Harper Government got it.  We took action.

We recognized the credit crunch for what it is: a threat to the global economy.  In response, the Harper Government implemented a real plan, including keeping the budget balanced, lowering taxes, investing in Canadian jobs and keeping inflation low. We also tightened rules on mortgage lending, and strengthened the Bank of Canada’s powers to deal with a crisis.

We’re not asking Canadians for a mandate to spend 30 days figuring out what to do.  We are asking for a mandate to continue with our real plan to protect the Canadian economy and the standard of living for workers and their families.”

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