A Liberal government in Ottawa would only return Canada to the "old ways" of higher taxes that stifle economic prosperity and global competitiveness, regardless of who becomes the party's next leader, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Tuesday.
In a highly partisan speech foreshadowing the Conservative government's attack in the next federal election, Flaherty warned how the Liberals would take Canada's "historically low unemployment, our low rate of core inflation, and higher corporate profits," for granted if re-elected.
A larger, more meddlesome, higher-spending and higher-taxing federal government awaits Canadians if they return the Liberals to power, Flaherty said, adding it was his government's expectation that the election will be held in 2009.
"None of us in the government are naive about the rollback to earlier times that the parties of the left will propose and prefer," he said.
"The minute we let our guard down and allow the old ways to return, we will be setting the stage for an economic storm that is neither sustainable nor affordable."
The Conservative have been in power for 9 months, and Flaherty has the nerve to take credit for our prosperity. In truth, Flaherty should be thanking the Liberals for inheriting such a massive surplus and overall good economy. Flaherty might want to brush up on his recent economic numbers the past 13 years, on both growth and productivity. Flaherty might also have forgotten about the personal income tax cuts that the leftist communists gave us all, only to be taken away by the GST gimmick.
It is simply outstanding that Flaherty can warn Canadians about the economic ramifications of a Liberal return. As a recall, no matter how much disgust there was with the Liberal Party, they always scored high on fiscal and economic matters. What the hell does Flaherty mean by "earlier times", is he trying to summon the ghost of Trudeau?
The greatest legacy of the past Liberal government was their ability to change the conventional wisdom that Conservatives were strong on the economy, while Liberals were weak. No longer can people like Flaherty make such wild claims, that lack any context. I can't believe that a government who has made NO mark on the economy to date, has the audacity to fearmonger about the past government, while they still enjoy the prosperity. Apparently, arrogance knows no bounds and reality is an afterthought. Yes Jim, all Canadians are gravely concerned about returning the Liberals to power. I for one am sick to death of leading the G8 year after year, operating as the envy of the world. Enough.
11 comments:
OH well - we still have the highest personal and corporate taxes in the G8. And, I think Quebec has the highest personal and corporate taxes almost in the whole world.
So- why would companies want to establish businesses that create employment so more employees pay taxes?
Alberta's 10% flat tax is fair, fair , fair and the lowest in Canada. The personal exemptions are higher than the feds too so many don't pay any provincial tax at all.
Now if the Feds would increase the personal exemptions even more we should be able to lower taxes while STILL subsidizing Quebec for all of their social and welfare programs because their taxes are so high companies don't last there and they have high unemployment.
Viscious circle.
I saw that earlier and my blood is still boiling.
What a retard. He will get away with that too and all the mindless CPC drones I am sure don't remember there being anything other than "Canada's new Government". Did I miss something? Was their a mass hypnoticism that I missed where the CPC made everyone forget every government that came before it??
shannon (using a female name now, how quaint)
"we still have the highest personal and corporate taxes in the G8"
Which government in the last two years lowered personal income taxes and which one recinded them for a tax break that disproportionately favors the rich? Quick, quick.
Wingers always point to corporate taxes as some stunt on growth. A quick scan of corporate profits suggests the taxes are completely fair.
Just when you thought the audacity couldn't get any worse.
It sounds to me as though the conservatives studied their Frank Luntz manual very well.
You hear precisely the same words south of the border right now and you know that the Conservatives are sharpening their sound bites for an election.
The fact that they are spewing nonsense, seems not to phase them. I suspect this cockiness will catch up to them however. Their statements and their mannerisms are becoming more smug and that never ends well.
Steve,
I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with you on this one. The Martin/Chretien double whammy was just what our country needed... if either of them lacked the will to make the necessarily changes in the mid-90s, I think we'd be in shit shape right now.
And for Flaherty to somehow argue that it was the Conservative budget that made the difference, simply makes no sense. The macro-economy doesn't move that fast.
You've won this round...
Oh...Spin!!! Like saying we balanced the books when all they did was cut transfer payments to the provinces?? Or spin like, we are the party of the enviornment and thats why we believe in Koyoto? Or Spin like year after year telling Canadians that the "other" party wants a two-tier health care system when in fact it was the only way for health care to survive?? Suck it up Biff. The party in power gets to use that government power, its part of the game that the Liberals know very well, and, Harper learnt watching them. Wait till the Cons take the credit for Debt control, wow, you'll all go nuts then.
"Like saying we balanced the books when all they did was cut transfer payments to the provinces??"
Didn't Flaherty recently say that the fiscal imbalance wasn't substantial?
What I think he's not eluding to how the Liberals treated the economy in the past but how the liberals will treat the economy in the future with Bob Rae ( linking him with the NDP which often spend much more on social programs). It looks like they're doing a calculated move by attacking the new liberal leader before hes in office, and with the recent controversies with Ignatief it seems that they are predicting a Rae victory.
Dig out a few of Flaherty's past budgets to show exactly what kind of magic this "new gov't of Canada" is really capable of... It's like gravy reading this pompous midget take claim for low interest rates, a balanced budget etc. Has he no shame? Well he does have chutzpah, apparently, but hopefully more than us are getting a good belly-chuckle work-out on that.
But now we see their format -- budget day, roll out some brassy tax cut machinery that spouts bubbles. Later, in the summer, take out the weedwacker and hack away to pay for it. Heaven forbid that the economy hits a speed bump during these times because it'll be hard for meglomaniac Harpor to hide the potential risks he's taking with our bankbooks.
Ugh.
Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.
Is this the kind of mind-numbing nonsense they're going to be spewing at the general public leading up to the next election?
"Dig out a few of Flaherty's past budgets to show exactly what kind of magic this "new gov't of Canada" is really capable of..."
Exactly
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