The other day I ran a video of Joe Oliver literally running for cover, so he didn't have to answer questions from reporters about the state of the economy. And explain why the Parliamentary Budget Officer says he has a billion dollar DEFICIT instead of a billion dollar SURPLUS as he
Continue readingTag: Joe Oliver
Montreal Simon: The Day Stephen Harper Was Exposed As a Con Artist
For weeks Stephen Harper and his grubby flying monkey Joe Oliver, have been trying to fool Canadians into thinking that they had balanced the budget for the first time in eight years.Harper has been travelling around claiming that the economic shock waves that are rocking this country are just a
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: The alternative to economic fatalism
The Bank of Canada today cut its benchmark interest rate today to nearly record lows, now just 0.5%. In the face of an oil shock and other weakness, monetary policy is expected to do the heavy lifting of beating an economic funk. Today’s move reflects a poverty of economic policy
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Canada’s new recession and the push for alternatives
The Bank of Canada today cut its benchmark interest rate today to nearly record lows, now just 0.5%. In the face of an oil shock and other weakness, monetary policy is expected to do the heavy lifting of beating an economic funk. Today’s move reflects a poverty of economic policy
Continue readingMontreal Simon: How the State of the Economy Could Kill the Harper Cons
As you know Stephen Harper is now engaged in a delicate balancing act, or caught in a compromising position.He's trying to claim that when the economy was doing well it was because he's a Great Economist Leader.But now that it isn't doing well it's not his fault.But sadly for him it's
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Why It’s Too Risky To Let The Harper Cons Remain in Office
Well there was Stephen Harper last night, at the opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games with his hapless stooge Joe Oliver at his side.Both of them trying to look like they were having a good time.But not quite pulling it off, and with good reason.For it was yet another
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Disappearing Budget Surplus
Well he's still out there with his trusty sidekick the rhinestone Cowboy Jason Kenney, trying to put a brave face on the situation.Still serving pancakes to the faithful, and judging from this photo, no doubt scoffing back a few of them himself.But it's clear that the stress is getting to him. For
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Joe Oliver, Stephen Harper, and the Great Con Economic Meltdown
As you know, I believe that we need a Con like Joe Oliver as our Finance Minister at a time like this one, like a drowning man needs an anvil. I think that he's just a puppet of the PMO, that Stephen Harper pulls his strings, and tells him what to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The definition of insanity
Shorter Joe Oliver: We’re fully prepared to blame any recession on Canada’s exposure to international instability. But as proof of our economic competence, we’re planning to spend billions in higher drug prices and transition costs to expose ourselves further.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Maude Barlow and Sujata Dey point out that the job promises linked to CETA and other new trade agreements are no more plausible than the false ones made in previous rounds of corporate rights giveaways. And the Canadian Labour Congress discusses the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Dylan Matthews reports on Joseph Stiglitz’ work in studying what kinds of systemic changes (in addition to more redistribution of wealth) are needed to ensure a fair and prosperous economy. And Martin O’Neill discusses James Meade’s prescient take on the importance of social
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Great Con Pension Scam
You might think that Stephen Harper has done enough to hurt poor seniors. By making them wait until they are sixty-seven to receive Old Age Security payments. And treating our veterans like dirt.You might think that his Great Con Debate scam would have satiated his corrupt instincts.But no, now he has ordered his dilapidated
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz laments the corporate takeover of policy-making processes, including by imposing trade rules which impede democratic decision-making: The real intent of [investor protection] provisions is to impede health, environmental, safety, and, yes, even financial regulations meant to protect America’s own economy
Continue readingBlevkog: One would think…
One would think that the question “How many jobs will be created by the federal budget?” when asked of the bloody finance minister who had just delivered the thing would get a better worded response than “dunno“. If jobs were the teeniest tiniest concern for this government, one would think that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Two Tory budgets for the price of one.
It was Ontario’s turn this past week. How often do we get two Tory budgets at a time? On Tuesday, we had a laugh at federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s expense. And then, right on the heels, Thursday we had a budget redux from Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa. There
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Budget 2015: A tale of austerity past, present and future
Cross-posted from my blog. I’ve been banging the drum of “slow-motion austerity” for a while and little in the 2015 federal budget suggests any change from the pattern of death by a thousand cuts. This budget is another is a series of unspectacular austerity budgets. Taken together, however, the cuts
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Oliver’s Gaffe
I read on Twitter that some pundits and journalists are saying that we should ignore or, if not ignore, then now let go of Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s “gaffe” about the gaping tax hole that doubling the TFSA limit will create for future governments being something for Prime Minister Stephen
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Trish Hennessy writes that the Cons’ budget is based purely on wishful thinking and deliberate denial rather than any rational plan. PressProgress identifies just a few of the problems which can’t be put off for two generations, no matter how determined Joe
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Inconvenient comments from Conservatives on Budgets
Inconvenient comment #1: Inconvenient Comment #2: Former Conservative Finance Minister – the late Jim Flaherty – ruled out dipping into contingency fund last year to balance the books: Flaherty told CBC News it would be “imprudent” to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Less Than Meets The Eye
So much for fiscal prudence. So long credibility. Those words, written By Scott Clark and Peter DeVries, succinctly summarize the illusions, misdirection and magical thinking that Joe Oliver’s budget is based on. As the authors point out, six ‘rabbits’ that Oliver pulled out of his hat on Tuesday conceal some
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