Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Marsh
Stephen Harper had been an MP for 8 years, was official leader of the opposition for 4 years, and had facilitated the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives prior to becoming PM. He was a founding member of the reform party, and was elected leader of the Canadian Alliance and then the newly formed Conservative Party of Canada, again all before becoming PM. While he may not have had significant experience in business, or in academia, he had a considerable amount of political experience.
Justin Trudeau has been an MP for 6 years, and at one point was the critic for Youth and multi-culturalism and amateur sport. He has been the leader of the Liberal party for about a year and a half. His election as leader of the liberal party was effectively uncontested. His party holds 35 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, less than half of what is held by the official opposition.
Sorry, for better or for worse, Harper at 45 and 46 years of age had accomplished far more in the political arena, and had substantially more political experience, than Justin Trudeau has currently.
For those critical of Harper's handling of the Canadian economy, and comparing post-2008 debt levels and economic performance to the Chretien years as the basis for their conclusions, I would suggest that a more balanced comparison would be that of Canada's current economic performance to that of almost any other G8 or G20 nation. The fundamentals of our economy are among the best of any economy in the world, and we are very fortunate that our economy has fared as well as it has. I certainly don't pretend that this is because of Harper, but probably some of the credit does belong to the governing party and its policies.
Serious question for those who are supportive of Trudeau: Are you really taken with the new Trudeau/Liberal platform, and if so in what way, or are you just looking for an alternative to the Harper government?
I ask that sincerely, because it isn't at all clear to me what Trudeau has accomplished, or what he's indicating he can accomplish if he's elected as the next PM. And frankly, the arguments I'm reading in this thread seem to be opposing Harper and his policies rather than anything really in support of Trudeau and his positions.
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Unfortunately when you compare the Canadian economy to other G7 nations though, it's not that impressive. I think that in terms of unemployment the only one with a higher number is France. Our growth is 'OK'. Not amazing, not terrible, but nothing to crow about. Frankly when the energy issues are factored in over the coming months you wonder how good things are going to look. Yes, it's true that some sectors benefit, and energy isn't everything, but it's a factor to consider.
To me that's just it with Harper. For all this supposed economic prowess, he's done nothing too impressive on that side of things. As far as his actual democratic record, it's repugnant. As I have mentioned, my disdain for voter suppression and pure disregard for democratic institutions is appalling. He obviously is a terrible judge of character given both his Senate appointments as well as his staff and some ministers. He has done almost nothing positive in terms of science and the environment. So remind me again, why would we vote him back in?