Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_this_city
I always laugh when Liberals talk about how Paul Martin was this wonderous finance minister. He dipped into the EI and gouged the provinces by cutting transfer payments by 1/3. His party also made a mockery of the military by cutting the budget and closing numerous bases. Playing a shell game doesnt make you a great finance minister. Anyone whos business is held off shore in a tax shelter is more anti-Canadian than anything Stephen Harper has done.
I think Harper has done an okay job as PM. I dont care for his social ideologies, but I believe his handling of the recession was superior to anything the other federal parties would have done.
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Based on what? His statement that he would never run a deficit (which he then did)? His unwillingness to spend money to spur the economy, which he then backtracked on and spent the money on GM and projects in ridings that voted for him/his party?
Frankly had the other parties not intervened and forced him into spending some money I'm not sure that we would be further ahead right now.
I do agree that Paul Martin wasn't the second coming, but the reality is that the Liberals had the fiscal house in order which let the country come through the recession well. It also has be recalled that it was the Liberals who put a stop to bank mergers in the late 90's as well, which might well have saved the banks from themselves as the financial crisis came to bear.