Mulroney vs. Chretien

[1967100]

Both had a similar term length in government (Mulroney had 9 years whereas Chretien had 10) and both were without a doubt archrivals going against each other. One did a lot for Canada (which might no always be good) while the other watched 10 years go by with little being done while wasting tax money on Quebec.

Now the question comes down to which will go down as the better Prime Minister of Canada? Mulroney or Chretien?

[mikedavid00]

Both had a similar term length in government (Mulroney had 9 years whereas Chretien had 10) and both were without a doubt archrivals going against each other. One did a lot for Canada (which might no always be good) while the other watched 10 years go by with little being done while wasting tax money on Quebec.

Now the question comes down to which will go down as the better Prime Minister of Canada? Mulroney or Chretien?

Both were horrible.. I just can't forgive Mulroney for the GST. He did prove to be righ though. Canada was moving to a service based country rather than manufacturing. That money enabled the Chretien to have the extra money to pay off the debt.

I hate how Chretien split up our country in minorities and realized if he did this he could get votes and stay in power this way.

Mulroney on the other hand did free trade which some argue ruined the white collar jobs in our country..

I just hate them both to be honest.

Bob Rae was the worst of course.

Where's our Ralph Klien, Preston Manning or Mayor Hazel's? Why can't we just have a normal logical people running things? Why do we always get these nut jobs running things?

Here we are in a country with our own citizens dying from healtchare waiting lists and organ transplants and we have Dion professing to the mere mortals that the top issue for us is climate change. Yes climate change. Our top issue. He feels he has the authority to dictate what our top issue is.

I don't know how so many people here believe and trust in these people? They really are just a bunch of dingbats with their 'visions'

[Remiel]

Not so long ago, it was pointed out that perhaps the difference between " Now " and " Then " was that " Now " we have people waiting forever or dying while in the queue for treatment, and " Then " people just died or didn't get treatment, and there was no queue.

[mikedavid00]

Not so long ago, it was pointed out that perhaps the difference between " Now " and " Then " was that " Now " we have people waiting forever or dying while in the queue for treatment, and " Then " people just died or didn't get treatment, and there was no queue.

Lol.. always got to defend the quilty. Defend the unjust, defend the wrong, self-loath on ourselves.

Forget us, lets defend Arar and give him $37,000,000. That's what's important.

[Remiel]

Way to totally go off topic there. Congratulations.

[August1991]

If you think government should do nothing, then the obvious choice is Chretien. But if you think government is an institution that can do good in society, then you must choose Mulroney.

Mulroney created and changed the GST and Free Trade. Mulroney tried to fix Trudeau's BIG MISTAKE of promising to change Canada while not changing it at all - chairs and all that.

Chretien did nothing. He changed the books to make it look as if he balanced them. Hired as a federalist, he almost lost the country.

Jean Chretien is a federal "Jean" Duplessis. Same education, same mentality.

Mulroney wanted to make a name for himself and also create an alternative to the Liberal Party in French Canada. Mulroney succeeded and Stephen Harper is the proof.

Jean Chretien is just a federal Duplessis - and Warren Kinsella is just a guy in the shop. Kinsella and Chretien have a Motown, 1950s sound to them. Did you see their blogging video? Pathetic.

---

Message: The future of Canada no longer passes solely by the Liberal Party. Our country in 2020 will be different - let's wait and see what Harper and Dion present for us. Chretien is an old man and Kinsella will be a superficial observor, out of the loop.

Mulroney has made it possible for a Protestant, anglophone Conservative to win 10 seats in French-Quebec. Mulroney has put right so much of Canadian history.

Mulroney vs. Chretien? If you are a federalist, there should be no doubt.

[betsy]

Not so long ago, it was pointed out that perhaps the difference between " Now " and " Then " was that " Now " we have people waiting forever or dying while in the queue for treatment, and " Then " people just died or didn't get treatment, and there was no queue.

Whaaat??

All I know is that NOW, we no longer have a free eye check-up....but we can have a free sex change!

And all I know is that Then, everyone has a family doctor....and Now, you're lucky if you find one!

And all I know is that there's tons of money that got squandered on scams and corruptions...money that could've injected life into our troubled healthcare system!

[watching&waiting]

I must admit that both of these made me mad as hell. The GST I will say is not something that I found bad, as it was said at one time that it could replace the income tax eventually. I still would like it to go that way. But that is just me. I hated Mulroney for his stupid pork barrelling of giving positions to people who had no qualifications to the positions, like Rinaldo (Meela's Hairdresser) to the Bank of Canada. Dr Wiber Keon to the Senate, when he was better used and needed in the Operating room and training new medical doctors. I do not mean to say Keon would not make a good senator, but rather he was a much better asset as one of the most reknowned Heart Surgeons in the world. The list goes on and on. Brian was arrogant and while I was glad to meet his wife Meela and their dog flowers, I did not bother to even shake his hand because he was in my eyes not some one who deserved my respect. I fixed the things that were needed at the Harrington Lake residence and thanked them for the trust in letting me do my job the right way, and then bid them good bye. The systems I set up were good from that day onward and my bill was about 1/3 of what others did, but their sysytems went down about once a month and they were forever there trying to fix it. That is the only time I met Brian, and like I said he was not the man I would vote for. This was around the time of Oka and yes he was pretty drunk. I knew he was an alcoholic and he had fell off the wagon. Maybe that explains my view as opposed to others who met him and found him quite charming.

Chretien I have seen many times dining at the Rideau Club and yes he always struck me more of a thug then a PM. He was loud at times and he was for ever sticking his finger into people around him to made points I guess. With all the money he lost during his term and the loans to golf courses he liked etc.. Not to mention the boondogals and the sponsorship scandels, and I could go on and one. He basically stole about $1000.00 from each tax payer during his term, if you add it all up. That is quite a lot. He still can be seen at the Rideau Clud and also at Hy's Steak house on the ground floor of the same building. He still looks and talks like a thug and maybe that is the best way to pigeon hole him, as nothing else seems to fit.

As for what one was the worst ? Well Chretien was because he caused the most damage, even though he hid most of it. Mulroney was more of a flagrant in your face thing, and that made me hate him more back then, but I will admit some of the things he did proved to be right , even if I did not like them. So Chretien to me is the worst offender. We will be finding more and more about what really was done by him over the next little while, because I can tell you from things I have been told that there are many reports being done that will make the Sponsorship look like a small events. The HDRC Scandel is still on going and it will be in the billions. Remember that one?

[stignasty]

Both had a similar term length in government (Mulroney had 9 years whereas Chretien had 10) and both were without a doubt archrivals going against each other. One did a lot for Canada (which might no always be good) while the other watched 10 years go by with little being done while wasting tax money on Quebec.

I chose "none of the above" and refrained from voting. However, it's not hard to see how you voted. Actually, now that I think about it, I may go vote for Chretien just to spite you.

[mikedavid00]

Not so long ago, it was pointed out that perhaps the difference between " Now " and " Then " was that " Now " we have people waiting forever or dying while in the queue for treatment, and " Then " people just died or didn't get treatment, and there was no queue.

Whaaat??

All I know is that NOW, we no longer have a free eye check-up....but we can have a free sex change!

And all I know is that Then, everyone has a family doctor....and Now, you're lucky if you find one!

And all I know is that there's tons of money that got squandered on scams and corruptions...money that could've injected life into our troubled healthcare system!

Yeah your right. But I think the debt is paid off and taxes are lower now. I cold be wrong.

I feel the medical problem is due to immigration over time and no parties did anything about it.

[Canuck E Stan]

Trudeau turned me into a Liberal.

Trudeau/Turner turned me into a Conservative.

Mulroney turned me into a Liberal.

Chretien turned me into a Conservative.

Martin kept me a Conservative.

Dion/Harper will keep me Conservative.

Reflecting back to Mulroney and Chretien, both were arrogant,

but I'll have to give marks to Mulroney for doing more for Canada than Chretien.

[Biblio Bibuli]

Trudeau turned me into a Liberal.

Trudeau/Turner turned me into a Conservative.

Mulroney turned me into a Liberal.

Chretien turned me into a Conservative.

Martin kept me a Conservative.

Dion/Harper will keep me Conservative.

Reflecting back to Mulroney and Chretien, both were arrogant,

but I'll have to give marks to Mulroney for doing more for Canada than Chretien.

LOL so true!

I voted for Mulroney too just on the fact that you could dress him up & take him anywhere, unlike Chretien, he wouldn't embarass you in public.

I have to give him high marks on the diplomatic /Irish malarkey front.

[jbg]

Mulroney gave Canada a respected place on the world stage, with his relationships with Thatcher and Reagan. Chretien decided that Lebanon, Djibouti and France were more important.

The GST was a visible, honest tax. Mulroney was "in your face" and arrogant. Still, my vote, though from SOTB, goes to Mulroney.

[Highlander]

Mulroney should be remember more fondly than he is, but the fact is he will always be more reviled than Chretien, despite the fact Chretien was far worse and nearly cost us the country.

[hiti]

I hate how Chretien split up our country in minorities and realized if he did this he could get votes and stay in power this way.

You are mistaken. It was Mulroney who lost Lucien Bouchard who started the Bloc because of Mulroney's failed tinkering with the constitution. Mulroney left office as the most unpopular prime minister because of the GST and Meech Lake and Charlottown Accord. He also left Canada on the verge of bankruptcy with a deficit of $40 billion that Canadians had to suck up to pay and eliminate. During the years 1985-1990 - the heart of Mulroney's rule - were the period in which taxes were increased most dramatically in recent Canadian history. Mulroney also tried eliminating inflation through high interest rates, he let John Crow hike up interest rates which led directly to the severe unemployment - which was a fundamental policy of his government, and which exaggerated the effects of the disastrous recession of the early 90's.

Mulroney claims that the Free Trade agreement ushered in a new age of free trade for Canada, and helped it adapt to the new economy. In fact, if we look back at the claims Mulroney made for Free Trade, we find that it has made little difference to Canada. The first claim was that it would create jobs. This has obviously not been the case - Canada's unemployment rate rose rapidly after the FTA was implemented, and has stayed that way for many years. Whether or not the FTA was responsible for this is a matter of debate - what is certain is that it did not have any positive effect on employment. The other claim was that it would protect Canada from arbitrary trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. in areas such as softwood lumber and grain. In this, it has been a complete failure. Whenever the Free Trade panel has ruled against U.S. measures, the U.S. has simply ignored it. The U.S. has continued to unjustly pressure Canada about exports, forcing us to make export-restricting deals in softwood, grain and various other commodities as if the FTA had never happened. As for NAFTA, Mulroney's other free trade deal, the stupidity of making a free trade deal between a first world and a third world country became apparent in Mexico's peso crisis, from which it is still barely recovering, and which threatened to drag down the other partners in the deal with it. So, it is unlikely that the FTA will be seen as any kind of substantial accomplishment by history. Thanks to Mulroney and Harper, our softwood lumber industry has been royally scr**ed over and Bush has a billion of our $$$$ even though all court decisions said Canada was right and the US was wrong, and now Steve and Chuckie are in the process of dismantling the farmers Wheat Board for the glory of George W. In fact China is rapidly replacing Canada as the USA's biggest trading partner and that is without a FTA or NAFTA.

In fact Mulroney was an sneeringly arrogant presence in the PMO that has not been seen before or since. I heard that He once got drunk, hopped on his plane and ended up at the White House. Bush Sr covered for him and got him back home before the public found out.

[geoffrey]

he let John Crow hike up interest rates which led directly to the severe unemployment - which was a fundamental policy of his government, and which exaggerated the effects of the disastrous recession of the early 90's.

http://www.mississauga4sale.com/rates.jpg

Only one Mulroney year had a considerable hike.

Doesn't even matter though. The BoC operates independantly. Mulroney can't step in and tell him to cut rates.

[hiti]

Government can and does interfere with bank rates. Governments will also force the loonie up or down.

Your chart is mortgage interest rates. What about business rates and personal loans?

[mikedavid00]

Government can and does interfere with bank rates. Governments will also force the loonie up or down.

Your chart is mortgage interest rates. What about business rates and personal loans?

I woudln't say that. Our rates co-inside with the US rates much of the time which is independant from gov't.

The mortgage rates are backed by a base interest rate that affects all loans.

This is why you are no longer seing 0% financing or leasing for new vehicles.. the rates are just too high now.

[hiti]

How the bank rates are set. http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/faq/faq_bank_monetary.html

[rbacon]

Seeing as they were both owned by Powercorp I think they were both terrible, maybe even crooked.....

[Figleaf]

They were both a pair of lacklustre incompetents, but at least Chretien wasn't actively destroying us.