Can you name 10 REAL achievements of PM Stephen Harper?

[CPCFTW]

I didn't realize that. Still, in this election JTs plan is better for most people in terms of taxes.

Not sure about that. Remember that Harper was constrained by a long recession and budgetary deficits, plus a commitment/mandate to balance the budget. Now that the budget is balanced I would anticipate surpluses will translate into significant tax breaks, barring another great recession.

I think you have to ask yourself who you'd rather have at the steering wheel with budget surpluses. I think the liberals will spend the surpluses on expensive public infrastructure projects and public sector union raises. I think the conservatives will just cut taxes.

In any case, if you assume 2 more 8% basic personal exemption increases, it's approximately a $300/yr tax break.

Additionally, the increased tfsa room would save approx $5k in taxes over a 10 year period with reasonable return expectations.

Those two measures alone would save you almost $10k in taxes over 10 years. Maybe you'll get married and have kids during that time and save even more!

I'm neither married nor do I have kids either but I think it's pretty naive to think Trudeau's liberals will provide a better long-term economic outcome to anyone except public servants.

Edited September 25, 2015 by CPCFTW

[Argus]

The phrase "we out West" is maybe one reason people from the east shut down when they hear regional types spewing their conspiracy theories. Nobody here cares. It's a myth that we think Ontario is the centre of the universe; I hear it more often from people in other parts of the country.

Why do you suppose the Liberal Party has never had a leader from outside Central Canada?

[Argus]

I didn't realize that. Still, in this election JTs plan is better for most people in terms of taxes.

Like Mulcair, he has weaseled away from giving any specifics on how much his new carbon tax would cost. So you really don't know that.

[Michael Hardner]

Why do you suppose the Liberal Party has never had a leader from outside Central Canada?

I remember John Turner as being from BC ? The wiki page seems to bear that out.

[Argus]

I remember John Turner as being from BC ? The wiki page seems to bear that out.

No, he was born in England. The family emigrated to BC, true, but later moved to Ottawa. He went to school at Ashbury College, which is the absolute epitome of the Central Canada establishment school for the elites. He did return to BC for his degree, but then went on to Oxford University, once again, the absolute height of the establishment school for the elites, romanced Princess Margaret, then practiced law in Montreal (and later on Bay Street) before being elected as an MP in Montreal. I certainly would agree he had strong connections to BC, but he wasn't going to be seen as an outsider by the central Canada elites and by the time he ran for party leader he'd spent all his adult life in central Canada.

[drummindiver]

No, he was born in England. The family emigrated to BC, true, but later moved to Ottawa. He went to school at Ashbury College, which is the absolute epitome of the Central Canada establishment school for the elites. He did return to BC for his degree, but then went on to Oxford University, once again, the absolute height of the establishment school for the elites, romanced Princess Margaret, then practiced law in Montreal (and later on Bay Street) before being elected as an MP in Montreal. I certainly would agree he had strong connections to BC, but he wasn't going to be seen as an outsider by the central Canada elites and by the time he ran for party leader he'd spent all his adult life in central Canada.

wow...a whole lot of facts I did not know about a former prime minister. Every day is a school day.

[Michael Hardner]

Ok - have the conservatives had candidates from out west? Harper and Dief were both born in Ontario

[drummindiver]

Joe Clark-High River Alberta

Kim Campbell- Port Alberni BC

6 from Ontario, 6 from Quebec.

3 from Nova Scotia

1 from New Brunswick

2 from England

2 from Scotland/

[Bob Macadoo]

Joe Clark-High River Alberta

Kim Campbell- Port Alberni BC

6 from Ontario, 6 from Quebec.

3 from Nova Scotia

1 from New Brunswick

2 from England

2 from Scotland/

Well I've been told repeatedly those (2) aren't Conservatives so..........

[drummindiver]

Well I've been told repeatedly those (2) aren't Conservatives so..........

Just showing a list where ALL pms are born. As the question was if there were any PC pm's born out west, obviously no.

Thought I would point out that it's not just PCs that don't have pms from out west...One each from Alberta and BC, none from Saskatchewan or Manitoba is not a good representative.

[Bob Macadoo]

Just showing a list where ALL pms are born. As the question was if there were any PC pm's born out west, obviously no.

Thought I would point out that it's not just PCs that don't have pms from out west...One each from Alberta and BC, none from Saskatchewan or Manitoba is not a good representative.

It's not that bad taking into account historical immigration and migration patterns.......Canada was an eastern country you know? Edited September 26, 2015 by Bob Macadoo

[drummindiver]

It's not that bad taking into account historical immigration and migration patterns.......Canada was an eastern country you know?

Yes, for a few years maybe.

Doesn't account for the continuing trend.

[69cat]

It does not so much concern me where the PM is from, though no doubt there is a feeling of alienation when a centralist PM and party are in power, but the vote buying really gets under my skin as my tax dollars are used to elect a party based on who gets the most favor from Quebec and Ontario.

Purely for discussion purposes, does the Conservative gov election platform have a key component which tends to favor central Canada? Just curious, maybe they have three of them, i dont know. One could argue the NDP and Libs are not buying that many votes in central Canada but the idea is still there.

[Argus]

Ok - have the conservatives had candidates from out west? Harper and Dief were both born in Ontario

I know Borden, Thompson and Tupper were from Nova Scotia. Stanfield was premier of Nova Scotia, and I think an earlier one was premier of Mannitoba. Bennett was from New Brunswick. Clark was born and raised in Alberta. Mckay was from Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, ALL Liberal leaders have been from Ontario and Quebec.

It's not merely a matter of where you are born, though. Yes, Harper was born in Ontario, but he is identified by the central Canada political elites as an outsider from the far colonies of the West. He didn't go to any of the proper schools, and moved west to get his degree. He is also identified with the Reformers, who were anathema to the Central Canadian elites and thought of as western barbarians and rednecks threatening the established order.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Argus

[Maybe]

Lowering the GST was the best thing he ever did, but that alone is not enough for me. He could be doing a lot more for Education and vocational training for immigrants so they don't become welfare burdens.

[Michael Hardner]

... but he is identified by the central Canada political elites as an outsider from the far colonies of the West.

Riiight... the elites. Should working class poor people relate more to an elite (Western elite) like Harper if they're from the west than to an NDPer who grew up working class in Oshawa ?

[angrypenguin]

1) Invest in Canada in 2008. Flaherty and him spent a whole whack ton of money

2) Get us out of deficit

3) Doubling of the TFSA / and the introduction of one

4) Followed through on his word to cut down GST by 2%

5) Crisis after crisis, Harper kept Canada at the top of the G7 when it came to job creation

6) Kept us from spending more money than necessary

7) Did not run permanent deficits like the *cough* Liberals would have (read the National Post article on Trudeau Senior)

8) Cut small businses taxes

9) Cut corporate taxes

10) Pretty generous home renovation credit.

[Argus]

Riiight... the elites. Should working class poor people relate more to an elite (Western elite) like Harper if they're from the west than to an NDPer who grew up working class in Oshawa ?

Ah, you've decided to change the goalposts. We were speaking, after all, about the Liberal Party never having a leader from outside central Canada, not the NDP, which, like the Tories, has had leaders from around the country. I trust you won't be trying to make the claim Justin Trudeau grew up 'working class'. The only 'working class' people he would have known would have been servants.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Argus

[angrypenguin]

Ah, you've decided to change the goalposts. We were speaking, after all, about the Liberal Party never having a leader from outside central Canada, not the NDP, which, like the Tories, has had leaders from around the country. I trust you won't be trying to make the claim Justin Trudeau grew up 'working class'. The only 'working class' people he would have known would have been servants.

Publicly paid servants, too.

[Michael Hardner]

Ah, you've decided to change the goalposts.

Not really moving the goalposts. That would be, analogously, saying that living in BC meant you were a 'Westerner'. I

am questioning whether geography is the best way to assess whether a leader is one of us.

We were speaking, after all, about the Liberal Party never having a leader from outside central Canada, not the NDP, which, like the Tories, has had leaders from around the country. I trust you won't be trying to make the claim Justin Trudeau grew up 'working class'. The only 'working class' people he would have known would have been servants.

Sure.

[ToadBrother]

1) Invest in Canada in 2008. Flaherty and him spent a whole whack ton of money

2) Get us out of deficit

3) Doubling of the TFSA / and the introduction of one

4) Followed through on his word to cut down GST by 2%

5) Crisis after crisis, Harper kept Canada at the top of the G7 when it came to job creation

6) Kept us from spending more money than necessary

7) Did not run permanent deficits like the *cough* Liberals would have (read the National Post article on Trudeau Senior)

8) Cut small businses taxes

9) Cut corporate taxes

10) Pretty generous home renovation credit.

11. Don't forget "Rendered cabinet an impotent pointless body and turned over the running of government to a bunch of hyperpartisan goons."

[Ask Your Mother]

Nope. I can't get past 4.

[angrypenguin]

Nope. I can't get past 4.

And the NDP/Liberals would axe the doubling of the TFSA, and most likely hike taxes. Pick the turd that smells the least.

[Not Yet]

I can name 5 but for all the time he has had in office it should probably be 25 yes? I would have like him to outlaw all forms of torture and cooperation with anyone who uses torture, secret prisons, secret courts, and does not follow rule of law. I would also would have expected him to base all trade agreements with the US on an EQUAL quid pro quo basis and based on jobs saved or created, not just revenues that pass through the hands of too few people.

[Truth Or Dare]

Yes, he shut down Parliament twice and gave them time to reflect upon their insolence, and he lowered the GST, and this TPP might turn out to be a good thing, but we should at least see a draft of it before October 19th eh?