Canadian Dollar in free fall

[cybercoma]

This is where you provide international metrics that demonstrate that Canada has a failed or failing economy. You could even compare our desperate situation with countries of roughly similar GDP/PPP like UK, France, Italy, Spain Mexico.

I can wait.

Like how we're 20th out of 34 OECD nations on jobs? Those kinds of stats?

[overthere]

Yep. Canada has weathered the recession in a lot better shape than many other countries. You can blame Harper for some of that if you like. I know that galls you horribly, but you'll just have to get over it.

We can all look forward to the expert management of our economy by that renowned economic jeanius Justin Trudeau. Happy days ahead.

[guyser]

We can all look forward to the expert management of our economy by that renowned economic jeanius Justin Trudeau. Happy days ahead.

Is there much room left under the bed with you and pik hiding out scared?

[waldo]

Is there much room left under the bed with you and pik hiding out scared?

Harper's an economist... don't you know!

[cybercoma]

Yep. Canada has weathered the recession in a lot better shape than many other countries.

You know Canada is in the bottom half of the OECD for jobs, right? That completely contradicts this statement.

[Accountability Now]

You know Canada is in the bottom half of the OECD for jobs, right? That completely contradicts this statement.

Just to be clear....Canada is in the bottom half for NET JOB CREATION (Difference of Employment Rates over the 2008-2012 period. Canada remains in the top 10 for Employment Rates.

[cybercoma]

Just to be clear....Canada is in the bottom half for NET JOB CREATION (Difference of Employment Rates over the 2008-2012 period. Canada remains in the top 10 for Employment Rates.

In other words, the Conservative mantra of "Jobs and Growth" is a lie. In their time at the helm, they haven't created nearly as many jobs as other OECD nations and recently that has been in spite of a majority government.

So we have a party that markets itself about Jobs and Growth, as well as Openness and Accountability and it has done absolutely nothing on either front. Yet their supporters still wave the banner.

[TimG]

In other words, the Conservative mantra of "Jobs and Growth" is a lie.

No it is not. The stats you quote remove population growth from the equation and all they mean is Canada has an immigration rate that is too high because the job market can't keep up with the growth. In absolute terms the job growth in Canada is strong.

[cybercoma]

Immigration is too high, is that what you're saying? So I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense for the Conservatives to draft legislation to speed up immigration by making it easier to get though the backlog then.

[TimG]

Immigration is too high, is that what you're saying? So I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense for the Conservatives to draft legislation to speed up immigration by making it easier to get though the backlog then.

It makes sense to make sure the immigrants who do come can get jobs. This means fewer family class and reducing barriers to accepting foreign credentials. These are the kinds of changes the Conservatives are trying to make.

But the issue also illustrates how your 'stats' were cherry picked for political purposes. If it was an NDP government there is no way that Jim Stanford would have cared about that particular employment stat. He only uses it because it is a tool to bash the Conservatives because the normally used metrics look good.

Edited February 6, 2014 by TimG

[waldo]

In other words, the Conservative mantra of "Jobs and Growth" is a lie. In their time at the helm, they haven't created nearly as many jobs as other OECD nations and recently that has been in spite of a majority government.

So we have a party that markets itself about Jobs and Growth, as well as Openness and Accountability and it has done absolutely nothing on either front. Yet their supporters still wave the banner.

a growing population, as is Canada's, requires net new jobs over a measured time period... taking a single year's, a latest year's, absolute employment figure and comparing it to countries with stagnant or negative growth populations means nothing. That's why Harper Conservative supporters like the smoke & mirrors associated with comparing a single years Employment Rate... and that's why they don't like the 2008-2012 OECD net employment rate comparison that shows Canada positioned 20th of 34 countries.

[Accountability Now]

In other words, the Conservative mantra of "Jobs and Growth" is a lie. In their time at the helm, they haven't created nearly as many jobs as other OECD nations and recently that has been in spite of a majority government.

So we have a party that markets itself about Jobs and Growth, as well as Openness and Accountability and it has done absolutely nothing on either front. Yet their supporters still wave the banner.

Depends on how you classify jobs and growth. As I showed, compared to OECD Canada remains in the top 10 for employment rate so Canada continues to provide jobs. So apparently jobs are being provided. Growth in this area is not as good but they are at the OECD average of -1.4%. It would be nice to show positve growth however that might not be possible as we approach what may be our theoretical maximum for employment rate. Look at the top 10 for net job creation. 8 out of 10 countries in the top 10 all have ER% less than 70% which means they have room to grow. Going back to the top 10 employment rate where Canada sits in 10th....7 of the 9 countries ahead of Canada also shared a negative job creation over this period.

Now...if we want to evaluate Harper then lets see what he's done in his term versus past years. Looking at the OECD data that I could find, in 2001-2005 (before Harper) the ER% was 70.8, 71.4, 72.2, 72.5 and 72.5 (average of 71.86%). With Harper in power, the numbers continue to grow until 2009 when the recession hit causing a set back to 71.5. The numbers from that point then did continue to grow again. So aside from the 2009 recession (which you have even stated was not Harpers fault), there has been growth.

[cybercoma]

The fact of the matter is that Stephen Harper campaigns on Jobs and Growth, but the reality is that Canada's growth hasn't been this bad since RB Bennett was Prime Minister during the Great Depression. We all know that the Great Depression carried on for as long as it did because ineffective leadership allowed the problem to linger and that's exactly what we have today. Harper's ineffective leadership has done nothing to grow the economy. In fact, their economic policies have made the economy worse than it could have been if we have had leadership that was more concerned with strengthening the consumer classes.

[Accountability Now]

The fact of the matter is that Stephen Harper campaigns on Jobs and Growth, but the reality is that Canada's growth hasn't been this bad since RB Bennett was Prime Minister during the Great Depression.

Do you have stats to back this up or is this just your opinion?

[Accountability Now]

A timely news article discussing both the Canadian dollar and Job growth in January.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-dollar-gets-small-boost-from-january-job-gains-1.2527034

Canada gained 29,400 jobs in January, which pushed down the unemployment rate 0.2 percentage points to seven per cent, according to the latest labour force survey released today by Statistics Canada.

The January increase was higher than the 20,000 new jobs that economists had expected and was a welcome turnaround from the 45,900 jobs lost in December.

What is the best part is that this increase in 29,400 jobs happened by adding 50,000 full time jobs and removing 21,000 part time jobs which is obviously better jobs.