Canada's Conservative Party make strong gains in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec: POLL

I don't know why you keep saying our economy is doing so great. You mentioned on your other post that if I gave you proof you'd publish it. So here it is again since I guess you missed it. Economic performance has been lousy under Harper.

The past budget was the largest in Canadian history. Maureen Bader of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation reported today that the most recent Conservative budget promised to increase spending by 3.4% but spending has actually risen by over 8 percent. I've seen other estimates at closer to 11%. That includes $8.8 billion in announcement over the past three months to buy votes. Now the Conservatives aren't the first government to use this tactic but combined with the fact that they've significantly reduced taxes and we're in an economic slowdown there is now the real risk of the federal government going into deficit. All of this under Harpers watch.

I don't know where you get the impression that the economy is booming. Here in B.C. the forest sector has had a terrible year and the real estate market is in decline. In Ontario the manufacturing sector has been gutted and all we got from Harper and Flaherty until this week's bribe was to insult the premier of Ontario. While we're not technically in a recession with a meager 0.3 percent growth in the second quarter and a decline of 0.8 percent in the first quarter (worse than the U.S. by the way) we're pretty close. Combine that with a significant decline in job growth and the horrible week on the TSX last week. If that's what you call a "booming economy" I'd hate to see what you think a bad one is.

So Harper is not the model of fiscal responsibility far from it. I really don't think he knows what he's doing with the economy. His GST cuts are just one example. No surprise since he put Flaherty in charge and we know what bad shape Flaherty, Harris, Baird etc. left Ontario in before Ontarians decided they'd had enough of the "Common Sense Revolution".

Thanks for the lengthy commentary Kferaday, certainly you cover the bases.

For one, Maureen is nobodies fool, you should also know Stephen Harper was also a member of the following organizations and parties throughout his lifetime, first he was a member and strong advocate of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Harper was a paid member of the Liberal party, and then switched to the Conservative party, before joining the Reform Party.  Harper is no dummy, he was disillusioned in all three parties, especially the liberals as he rightly saw them balloon our deficit and destroy our dollar, not to mention that Fiasco the National Energy Plan.  

You are correct that his pledge if elected is to throw money around, all political parties do it as a carrot. 

As for the lumber industry, well that was a dying doggie long before Harper was even a member of the Conservative party.  If you want to find fault in the dying lumber industry, look to the NDP, Social Credit and the Liberals who screwed up the stumpage fees, and allows our wood to be exported raw as logs instead of finished products. This has been going on for decades.

As for McGuinty, he is a tool, look at the auto industry in his province,

Funny how things take a crapper in provinces, the finger pointing is always at the Federal Government and never the Premiers.  Par for the course,Manufacturing has been going the way of the dinosaur in this country, as consumers want cheap, if they cant have free.

I agree with you Kerfaday, we have lost our birthright as a nation of manufacturers, we lost them not because of government, we lost them because consumers enjoy the throw away society and cheap.  Trust me, it pisses me off when you buy a product from asia that never works like it is supposed to.  At least Harper has insisted manufacturers who say made in canada, have to prove it, and that goes with our food.

If I had my choice between all parties Ill stick with fiscal, Ill stick with Harper, Ill stick with the COnservatives.

To me that is the only vote that makes common sense, take at the liberal record and tell me they have done better, hell take the NDP record and do the same , you wont find a better form of government, especially on law and order./

In ending, I really enjoyed your comments, you can comment on my stuff anytime, I really appreciated it.