Conservative leader Stephen Harper faced questions about his investment advice and his mother at a campaign stop in Victoria this morning.
“Many Canadians have seen big losses in the last couple weeks,” Harper said after giving a speech focused on the economy and health care. “I know that because my mother is one of those people and I hear about it every single day. We know people are worried. They have a right to be worried.”
The questions arose from an October 7 CBC television interview where Harper suggested a falling stock market presents opportunities to buy.
Harper stressed though that he's not getting into the investment advice business. “The point I'm trying to make is governments don't get caught up in stock market panic and pessimism. Stock markets go up and down,” he said. People should act like the government and think long term, he said.
But he does understand people's concerns about their investments, he added. “I use my mother as an obvious example because she's the person closest to me who's most worried about the stock market these days. Believe me, I get quicker updates on the stock market from her than I do from the department of finance.”
Also of note from the event:
* It was Harper's second appearance in Victoria during this campaign. This one was at the Coast Harbourside Hotel, just a few hundred metres from the Laurel Point Inn where he spoke a few weeks ago.
* Harper answered 10 questions from the media. Nine of them came from reporters travelling with the campaign and just one from a local reporter. That reporter wanted to know if Harper was afraid cabinet minister Gary Lunn might lose his seat in Saanich-Gulf Islands where he faces a united left. Harper said they take nothing for granted in any riding and hope to hold the seats they have and gain others.
* A supporter standing behind Harper wore a “Run with Rob” T-shirt. The slogan is for Rob Reid, the running shoe store owner who after several false starts entered the race to be Victoria mayor.
* Harper again took aim at carbon taxes in a province where premier Gordon Campbell introduced just such a thing this year: “Tell me how imposing a carbon tax, that would drive up the cost of everything Canadians buy, tell me how that shows you care or understand the situation.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee's Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. You can reach him here.
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Canadian Spirit
3 years ago
Does Harper really understand the situation?
Then why for over 230 economists say the carbon tax is the way to go?
More than 230 economists teaching in Canadian universities have signed an open letter to federal political leaders calling for economically coherent action on climate change. Among the signatories are some of Canada’s top economists, including current and past presidents of the Canadian Economics Association, and holders of Canada Research Chairs and the Order of Canada.
Their letter states:
“A carbon tax has the advantage of providing certainty in the price of carbon. This provides investors with a degree of certainty that is good for business, and allows consumers to make adjustments knowing what is coming. A carbon tax thus involves choosing price certainty but accepting some uncertainty in total carbon emissions.
A cap and trade system provides certainty on the quantity of carbon emitted, but not on the price of carbon and can be a highly complex policy to implement.”
Full statement here: http://www.econ-environment.ca/open-letter.html
Van Isle
3 years ago
Hello Canandian Spirit.
Hello Canandian Spirit. There are various forms of Carbon Taxes and the type that Gordo and his bandits in Victoria devised are a ripp-off scam. How in hell are taxes, that go into general revenue, going to make it in weening the great unwashed off of wasteful energy? There have to be programs in place first, similar to what they have in certain European/Scandinavian countries. Just because Gordo's got a carbon tax system in place isn't gonna fix the problem. And don't yo think that Gordo's talking out both sides of his mouth when he's the biggest promoter of the Gateway Project?
Canadian Spirit
3 years ago
Agreed BUT the Green Shift is the right type of carbon tax
I see what you are saying Van Isle, but Harper was referring to the federal Green Shift plan which
* doesn't tax gas at all
* is introduced gradually as the economists suggest to avoid price spikes
* return every dollar back to Canadian people and businesses, certified by the auditor general
Further the Green Shift promises to "harmonize" the federal policy with BC's so the gas tax should be dropped.
Over the long term, rational businesses and Canadians in general will choose to emit less CO2 once it is properly priced. Even if it's not easier in the short term, I think we'll be better off on the long term... We're not talking about nursing a sick polar bear back to health here. We are talking about making polluters pay and the rest of us save. If we can’t handle that, I hate to think what our children are going to have to deal with.
G West
3 years ago
That's it
If Rob Reid is providing tee shirts for pee wee I'm getting my next pair of trainers at another store.
That should be the kiss of death for his mayoralty hopes!
Frank
3 years ago
Carbon taxes
Carbon taxes in Europe and here in BC are doing absolutely nothing to save mammals which are being pushed to extinction.
All a carbon tax is is a guilt tax that says go ahead and do whatever you want to do and as long as you pay this tax you're not the problem.
The 230 economists think the carbon tax is great because its good for business as the quote above demonstrates.
lynn
3 years ago
Minor Guilt Trip - No Real Change
Frank's right on that the carbon tax is really just a guilt tax. Kinda like the confessional...allows you to sin all week ....say you're sorry on Sundays.
This is not about changing behavior...more about a temporary Hail Mary that allows you to pay your way out of bad behavior instead of actually addressing it....so you can forever continue on in your merry olde polluting ways.
mwatkins
3 years ago
Surprise... Canada already in deficit
I'm glad Harper is worried about his mom, but most Canadians don't get to put our mothers up in the hallowed halls of 24 Sussex or Stornoway (the PM's current, and hopefully future, address).
What I'd like to see is Harper come clean on the state of Canada's balance sheet. So far this year the government has racked up the highest operational deficit - yes, deficit - of this entire decade. The numbers are an off-the-charts $23 billion (calendar year, or $20.3 billion fiscal year).
Charts and data to back this up here:
http://mikewatkins.ca/2008/10/08/harper-government-running-deficit-now/
Its not hard to imagine that in Harper's drive to permanently cripple the federal government's power of the purse - no matter who sits in the PM's chair - that he and Flaherty have goofed up, counting on high commodity price-based related government revenues.
The country is 23.3 billion in the hole, today, as of July. Economic conditions have markedly worsened since. The next Fiscal Monitor update (August data) from the Ministry of Finance doesn't come out until Oct. 20... after the election. What surprises will it contain?
What surprises are going to show up when Sept. and Oct.'s data are released?
Harper isn't coming clean - he's using semantics - clever hiding behind words, much in the infamous way Bill Clinton famously defended himself by saying "it depends on what the meaning of 'is', is."