For those of you unaware of what Dutch Disease is. It is an economic theory is that oil development rises the dollar and makes exports too expensive. Mulcair says that this is happening in Canada, and therefor is harming jobs in the east. Mulcair's also stated that the western Primers are like the puppets of the Prime Minister.I think that is insulting to the three premiers.
Mulcair has said that while shifting international trade patterns are responsible for some of the 500,000 manufacturing jobs that have been lost in Canada, "everyone concludes that more than half of them are being lost because we’re maintaining the Canadian dollar artificially high."Mulcair continues to stand by his comments that the west should be slowed down to help the east. Even though a new report have come out, and said that Dutch Diseas is hardly effecting Canadian manufacturing.
It says it has caused "small surmountable problems for most manufacturing industries and larger challenges for the public finances of resource-rich provinces."I don't think that we should be looking at the west as if it is the problem like Mulcair has portrayed it, but look at the west the solution. Yes the western Canada is polluting more, so obviously they must be part of the solution. I think we should always look at providing jobs for all Canadians.
I think any plan that involves taxing oil industries, which are a big driver for growth in the west should also come hand in hand with money to develop green energy jobs especially in the west. Therefor we aren't discouraging growth in the west, but promoting long term substainable jobs for western Canadians.
To summarize this whole situation I think Stephane Dion puts it best "We already have one divisive leader he is Stephen Harper we don't need a second one"
west, but also a plan to develop a green energy sector and provide thousands of jobs for people in the west.
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ReplyDeleteThomas Mulcair's gaffe is not that the "Dutch disease" was mentioned, it was that he mentioned it. As leader of a party, Mr. Mulcair should do his best to take the high road. He should have one or more of his fellow NDP MPs state the points about the "Dutch disease." If there is a public negative reaction, Mr. Mulcair can distance himself from negative comments that his MPs may make. Use the MPs as enforcers. As captain, don't be an enforcer yourself.
ReplyDeleteNot meaning to be rude, but this issue is a prime example of why the LPC is where it is. It seems their entire strategy to return to favor with the electorate consists of waiting until the people decide to throw Harper out and maybe go looking for the next available sweater vest type guy.
ReplyDeleteVoters very much tend to see a party through the Leader and the timid Libs, unwilling to take a firm stand on anything controversial have chosen to live in the safe zone while watching their support plummet.
Mulcair on the other hand is carving out territory and shoring up a base. Same idea as what Harper did with things like the LGR. On this particular issue there is a middle that's wide open and has wide appeal, but it would require some spine to push. Check out ex NB Liberal Premier Frank McKenna's positions, and recent statements made by David Dodge.
Lastly, there are shortage of reports and studies on Dutch disease which support Mulcair's statements. The one you link to doesn't supersede all the rest, including the one recently announced that was commissioned by Industry Canada which attributes far more weight to the petro dollars effect on manufacturing. Then there's all the other industries that suffer from an artificially inflated dollar.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2012/04/Cure%20For%20Dutch%20Disease.pdf
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/04/16/canadas-case-of-dutch-disease/#more-12987
"Lastly, there are shortage of reports"
ReplyDeleteThat should have read, there are NO shortage of reports>
Stating "that the western Primers are like the puppets of the Prime Minister" is insulting only to Premier Redford. The statement is only all too true about the other two.
ReplyDeletePremiers Clark and Wall never speak up in favour of their own provinces' interests when they come into conflict with the federal Conservatives' political goals.
Look at Clark on the HST, the Enbridge pipeline, and at her shipped-in former HarperGov advisers.
Wall provides an even clearer disparity: when it was the federal Liberals in charge, he talked all about how Saskatchewan would sue for its equalization money, but let it drop for the Conservatives. Also relevant to the federal Liberals is during the past election when the Conservatives were raving about the coalition boogeyman. Premier Wall spoke in support of the Conservative position, stating how he thought a coalition government to be illegal and unconstitutional.
Institute for Research on Public Policy Compromising Political Neutrality
ReplyDeleteSo if you want a study done up by an economist at Agriculture Canada, from an organization paid $16,000 to do partisan research into why the NDP had their early-2011 surge in Quebec, sure, go with that one.
(Don't forget that as a public comment by an in-house scientist in the federal government, the study was almost certainly pre-vetted by the minister. Suspicious timing on the release of the study too.)
McGuinty, the Ont. Premier, had also publicly stated before he won the recent Ont. election again that the Dutch disease had affected Ontario. It got him into a public fight with Redford too. However, it was actually likely a positive for McGuinty as Ontarians are suffering from the loss of manufacturing jobs.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see Liberals like Warren Kinsella now pile on the attack on Mulcair over the Dutch disease remark and predicting that Mulcair will lose support from this. Surely even Kinsella, who had worked on the McGuinty campaign, does not think that Alberta or Saskatchewan will ever vote NDP or Liberal? Besides, what kind of message does that send? That Kinsella thinks McGuinty is an idiot for claiming that Ontario has the Dutch disease? LOL
Anonymous 10:09
ReplyDeleteFirst I must disagree with you that we don't take a strong stand on issues. One would only need to look at recent policies we have just recently embraced. From the legalization of pot (which the NDP leader didn't seem very firm on might I add on his stance) To still one of the only parties that support a national daycare system.
Now I don't disagree that having a high dollar does indeed effect the exports. No economist disagrees that Oil prices do have an effect on the dollar, but what I do dispute is whether this can all be traced back to the oil sands.
Even the report you gave me from the Finical post stated that other factors can be also to blame.
"The Bank of Canada has kept interest rates too low, amid fear the dollar would go higher"
Anonymous 11:48AM
To continue the argument that the Wall and Clark are puppets is just plain silly, and insulting. If Clark was the PM puppet would she not eliminate the carbon tax that is in place their?If wall was Harper's puppet why did he warn Harper that he would lose 13 seats if he didn't help POTASH?
Anonymous 4:07 PM
ReplyDeleteI think the NDP will lose support in the west in the coming polls. Not for just the comments about Dutch Disease, but also for calling their leaders puppets especially the last two who where elected fairly recently.