Statement made on 01 February 2012 by Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette
Hon. Céline Hervieux-Payette:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Affecting humility, the Prime Minister told the nations of the world that Canada is a model of good management, but now Canadian economists are challenging his model.
Recently, two Bank of Montreal economists observed a contraction in the Canadian economy and suggested that the latest round of budget cuts could harm our faltering economy. Also, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives estimated that 60,000 jobs could be lost because of the cuts, with the hardest-hit sectors being reserve housing, First Nations health care, support for low-income families and unemployed workers, and elder care.
How can the government tell the world that it is a model of good management practices when its actions have resulted in lower federal revenues and higher deficits, jeopardizing both the economy and the most vulnerable Canadians? How can the government call itself a model of good management when it has cut corporate taxes without investing in research and development, and it now plans to cut retirement pensions?
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