The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper tried hard in his speech in Toronto this week to regain momentum in this election campaign by focusing on the economy. Tried, but ultimately failed. He failed because in his speech he did not display any empathy for Canadians who have lost their jobs as the economy has slowed or who have seen their retirement savings severely reduced as the markets have crashed. Instead, in TV interviews he talked of Òsome great buying opportunities emerging in the market.Ó And he failed because he did not connect his speech to Ontario, which has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn. Indeed, his only mention of Ontario during the 30 minute speech was a mocking reference Bob RaeÕs provincial government during the recession of the early 1990s. Harper spent the first part of his speech patting himself and his government on the back for having foreseen the downturn and taken steps to deal with it Ð including tax cuts and infrastructure spending outlined in last fallÕs economic statement and last winterÕs budget. ÒWeÕve been responding ahead of the curve,Ó he said. Furthermore, Harper used this foresight as justification for staying the course rather than steering in a different direction. ÒIt wasnÕt raining when Noah built the ark,Ó he said. ÒWhich is why when the rain came, Noah didnÕt need to panic and he didnÕt switch boats.Ó The problem with this analogy is that it assumes the government, like Noah, was omniscient. In fact, the government did not foresee a downturn as severe as this. The economic growth projections in the February budget have since been cut by half or more. The rest of HarperÕs speech was mainly an attack on the opposition parties, which he variously accused of advocating massive increases in taxing and spending,Ó living Òin an economic fantasyland,Ó promoting Òa recipe for disasterÓ and Òpanicking.Ó Harper concluded that Canada is at a Òfork in the roadÓ between his governmentÕs approach or the oppositionÕs Òmenu of all the wrong ideas the worst possible time.Ó One could hear echoes of Mackenzie KingÕs campaign in 1935: ÒItÕs King or chaos.Ó That worked for King. But, then, he was in opposition at the time. Harper is in power, and he seems to be wearing the economy in a way few predicted a few weeks ago.
