Canadians judge Conservatives as top economic managers

[Locutus]

OTTAWA – The vast majority of Canadians pegged managing the economy as the top priority for the federal government, and most of them say Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives are doing a good job of it, according to an Ipsos Reid poll released on Thursday.

Eighty-seven per cent of respondants say the economy and job creation need to be main concern of the government, according to the poll conducted exclusively for Global News and Postmedia News.

A slimmer margin, 54 per cent, said they approve of how the Conservatives are doing when it comes to managing the economy.

That’s compared to the 40 per cent who voted for the Conservatives during the 2011 election – a race the party tried to focus squarely on economic issues.

Together the results suggest that the Conservatives will be tough to beat as long as the economy weighs heavy in the minds of Canadians, according to Ipsos Reid CEO Darrell Bricker.

“There are people who have residual dislikes of (Conservatives) on one policy or another, but as long as the economy is the top issue, they’ve still got room to grow,” he said.

Read it on Global News: Global News | Canadians judge Conservatives as top economic managers: poll
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[L Gilbert]

Scary. IMO, Cons are just as nutty as Glibs; just in different ways.

 

[taxslave]

The cons are only good at managing the economy when compared to the other parties. They are willing to buy your vote with your money where the other parties would buy your vote with your grandchildren's money.

 

[TenPenny]

Quite honestly, the liberals have a better track record lately.

 

[BruSan]

Quite honestly, the liberals have a better track record lately.

How lately are we talking here? McGuinty and his Health department fiasco comes to mind.

 

[WLDB]

How lately are we talking here? McGuinty and his Health department fiasco comes to mind.

Provinces are a different ball game.

The last federal Liberal government did pretty good. Though they did have some major making up to do after Trudeau.

 

[TenPenny]

How lately are we talking here? McGuinty and his Health department fiasco comes to mind.

I wasn't aware that he was prime minister.

 

[damngrumpy]

First of all, the Conservatives have a slight edge at the moment but the economy that is
great today could go sour in a matter of days and likely will before the term of office is
over.
The fact is the Tories are only good compared to the others, being one other as the NDP
have never come to power Federally. In addition there are other factors that make up a
national agenda. The conservatives have peeked and are on the way down, I say that
because the latest poll numbers on where things stand over all. The latest figures have
the Tories at 37% and the Liberals at somewhere around 26%. On the face of it, it shows
the Tories ahead by quite a margin. The problem is, they are down from 40% and the
Liberals are climbing.
In addition the election is a long way off and I don't think recent activities the Tories are
engaging in, they are in some measure of trouble. Pensions and retirement you talk about
you don't start changing things.
It is way too soon to predict a Canadian election I have seen leaders fall apart and lose within
a week.

 

[Bar Sinister]

Provinces are a different ball game.

The last federal Liberal government did pretty good. Though they did have some major making up to do after Trudeau.

That comment is an interesting bit of selective memory. Between Trudeau and Chretien there was someone called Brian Mulroney. Trudeau stepped down as Prime Minister leaving Canada about $170 billion in debt. Just nine years later Mulroney retired after having tripled the debt to over $500 billion. If the survey is correct the Canadian public shares your misconception. The history of right wing governments in Canada over the last several decades is one of recklessly using deficit budgeting. The only exception I know of is Alberta where the Klein government paid down the debt with the aid of a surge in oil prices. It is my observation that when it comes to actually understanding economic systems conservative governments tend to rank dead last.

 

[JLM]

That comment is an interesting bit of selective memory. Between Trudeau and Chretien there was someone called Brian Mulroney. Trudeau stepped down as Prime Minister leaving Canada about $170 billion in debt. Just nine years later Mulroney retired after having tripled the debt to over $500 billion. If the survey is correct the Canadian public shares your misconception. The history of right wing governments in Canada over the last several decades is one of recklessly using deficit budgeting. The only exception I know of is Alberta where the Klein government paid down the debt with the aid of a surge in oil prices. It is my observation that when it comes to actually understanding economic systems conservative governments tend to rank dead last.

Governments have very little to do with economy. Gov't's spending is all about social programs.

 

[BruSan]

I wasn't aware that he was prime minister.

No one said he was prime minister. He's simply a Liberal with all of the Liberal mindset and behaviour's present.

 

[mentalfloss]

No one said he was prime minister. He's simply a Liberal with all of the Liberal mindset and behaviour's present.

What is a Liberal mindset and behviour?

 

[wulfie68]

That comment is an interesting bit of selective memory. Between Trudeau and Chretien there was someone called Brian Mulroney. Trudeau stepped down as Prime Minister leaving Canada about $170 billion in debt. Just nine years later Mulroney retired after having tripled the debt to over $500 billion. If the survey is correct the Canadian public shares your misconception. The history of right wing governments in Canada over the last several decades is one of recklessly using deficit budgeting. The only exception I know of is Alberta where the Klein government paid down the debt with the aid of a surge in oil prices. It is my observation that when it comes to actually understanding economic systems conservative governments tend to rank dead last.

Speaking of selective memory...

Deficit spending in the federal gov't was brought in by Trudeau.

Mulroney's spending, when stated as % of GDP was less than Trudeau's except for the year he took office and was under Trudeau's last budget, despite having to include the interest from prior spending in his budgets.

Mulroney also implemented the 2 biggest tools that allowed the deficit to be eliminated by Chretien/Martin: the GST and the free trade agreements with the US and Mexico, which encouraged the economic growth that allowed us to "outgrow" the deficit.

Chretien and Martin deserve some credit for not reverting to Trudeau-esque spending but really all they had to do was play the hand Mulroney dealt them. Martin was also on the verge of going on more social spending sprees (i.e. the national daycare proposal) before he lost that election.

Harper's has spent less than what the NDP and Liberals have stated they wanted to see spent on bailouts et al. The biggest "waste" I see from Harper and CPC is the F-35 proposal, and we do need to replace our CF-18s at some point in the not-too-distant future.

 

[The Old Medic]

Yes indeed, the sore losers will NOT acknowledge that Canada is doing MUCH better than most of the developed world. "It's not the Conservatives that are doing this" they will claim. Of course it isn't their policies that are doing this, it's really a magical trick!

They will do anything, ANYTHING, to avoid reality.

 

[mentalfloss]

Yes indeed, the sore losers will NOT acknowledge that Canada is doing MUCH better than most of the developed world. "It's not the Conservatives that are doing this" they will claim. Of course it isn't their policies that are doing this, it's really a magical trick!

They will do anything, ANYTHING, to avoid reality.

Actually, it was the housing and mortgage policies in place that existed before the new conservative crew came into power that saved us from the fate of most of the developed world after 2008.

 

[relic]

Hey old medic,del mastos script writer jot that down for you ? I don't think being farther in the whole than any other time is good management.

 

[darkbeaver]

Yes indeed, the sore losers will NOT acknowledge that Canada is doing MUCH better than most of the developed world. "It's not the Conservatives that are doing this" they will claim. Of course it isn't their policies that are doing this, it's really a magical trick!

They will do anything, ANYTHING, to avoid reality.

The Banks own Canada, Canada adheres to central Banking directives like every other slave state. The fact that our economy might be dog paddling faster than the rest of the west may have something to do with oil and potash but it definitely has nothing to do with the ruling puppet party. Hey, a healthy GDP dosn't mean you and the old lady are going to have pork chops tonight.

 

[CDNBear]

The Banks own Canada, Canada adheres to central Banking directives like every other slave state. The fact that our economy might be dog paddling faster than the rest of the west may have something to do with oil and potash but it definitely has nothing to do with the ruling puppet party. Hey, a healthy GDP dosn't mean you and the old lady are going to have pork chops tonight.

Why do you keep biting the hand that feeds you?

Your trust fund doesn't fund itself. Your dear departed father worked hard to set up the funds the banks invest in all manner of things, to keep it topped up. So you can continue your lavish lifestyle. Free from the burdens of the average Joe.

You said so yourself.

 

[Bar Sinister]

Speaking of selective memory...

Deficit spending in the federal gov't was brought in by Trudeau.

Mulroney's spending, when stated as % of GDP was less than Trudeau's except for the year he took office and was under Trudeau's last budget, despite having to include the interest from prior spending in his budgets.

Mulroney also implemented the 2 biggest tools that allowed the deficit to be eliminated by Chretien/Martin: the GST and the free trade agreements with the US and Mexico, which encouraged the economic growth that allowed us to "outgrow" the deficit.

Chretien and Martin deserve some credit for not reverting to Trudeau-esque spending but really all they had to do was play the hand Mulroney dealt them. Martin was also on the verge of going on more social spending sprees (i.e. the national daycare proposal) before he lost that election.

Harper's has spent less than what the NDP and Liberals have stated they wanted to see spent on bailouts et al. The biggest "waste" I see from Harper and CPC is the F-35 proposal, and we do need to replace our CF-18s at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Praise for Brian Mulroney? Really? Oh well, I expect even the Devil has his fans. As for your post it contains a number of errors. First, Trudeau did not invent deficit budgeting it had been used for decades before he became PM, particularly in World War II to finance the war effort.
Second, one of Mulroney's campaign promises was to bring the deficit under control. He didn't. Instead he pushed Canada's national debt to record levels. And no, the debt as a percentage of GDP was not higher under Trudeau. When Trudeau retired the debt was about 40% of GDP. Under Mulroney it increased to almost 70% of GDP.

As for the FTA it may have helped Canada's economy, but not nearly as much as the low dollar. I think we could argue about that one forever. However, allowing free access to Canada's resources and economy may have been a rather high price to pay for the FTA.

 

[JLM]

What is a Liberal mindset and behviour?

Basically the same as Conservative mindset and behaviour. Attain power and hang on to it for as long as you can by whatever means, if benefitting the electorate doesn't benefit them, then shaft them. Expand the size of the trough at every opportunity. :smile: