Saltair - Once again a left wing supporter has engaged in half truths and insinuations to try to make the Conservative government look bad. A careful check of the facts would have probably stopped Rick Faulkner from even writing such a letter. But such was not the case.
In his letter he points to the purchase of British submarines, the F-35 fighter jets, lawsuits from NAFTA, the selling of GM shares and the fact that the budget has not been balanced for seven years as evidence of poor fiscal management. So let's look at the facts. The submarines were bought by the Liberal government of Jean Chretien in 1998. Nothing to do with the Conservatives!The purchase of F-35 fighter jets was begun in 2002 under the Liberals again. Conservative governments have been dealing with the fallout of this since trying to get the best deal they can for Canadian manufacturers and our airmen. Any lawsuits that have occurred from NAFTA come as the result of the agreement signed with the U.S. and Mexico under the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney. Nothing to do with the Harper Conservatives!The selling of the General Motors shares was the profitable end of the investment that the Conservative government made in GM's Canadian operations to save thousands of jobs during the huge recession of 2008. Selling them when the Canadian dollar is low has provided a return of $3.4 billion dollars back into the Canadian economy as the government reinvests in infrastructure, health and welfare of Canadians. Hardly evidence of poor fiscal management!And now the fact remains that the recent budget of the government shows that the budget is balanced and the deficit is eliminated. In uncharacteristic Conservative fashion, the government had to borrow billions of dollars during the recession of 2008 to jumpstart the economy. With good fiscal management they have paid that back and more. Now they are providing Canadians with more tax breaks and incentives than any government in our history. I say good on them and yes I agree, we are lucky to have the government we do. So do all kinds of international economists who agree that Canada came out of that recession better than any other country in the world. I am very thankful to be a Canadian and to live in this vibrant country.Ken OakesSaltair