Harpers fails

Op-Ed: Harper’s economic index: an 8-year report card

Eight years after the January, 2006 election that brought the Conservatives to power under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Alex Roberts looks at the state of the Canadian economy. Not to be confused with the Harper’s Magazine’s monthly index of “ironic statistics arranged for thoughtful effect.”

Estimated amount spent on taxpayer-funded advertisements since 2009 touting the “Economic Action Plan” and the government’s economic record : $113,000,000

National unemployment rate in January, 2006: 6.6

National unemployment rate in December, 2013: 7.2

Increase in the number of unemployed in Canada since January 2006: 236,200

Youth unemployment rate, January 2006: 12.2

Youth unemployment rate, December 2013: 14.0

Rank of Canada’s unemployment rate in 2013 compared to other G7 countries: 3rd

Rank of Canada among the 34 OECD nations in employment creation 2007-2012: 20th

Number of governments since 1935 that have presided over a slower rate of real economic growth per capita than the Harper Conservatives: 0

Number of consecutive annual federal budget deficits: 6

Number of budget deficit targets hit by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: 0

Number of consecutive annual federal budget surpluses under the previous Liberal (Chrétien/Martin) governments: 9

Amount added to the federal national debt since Conservatives took power in 2006: $123,500,000,000

Number of years it would take to count to 123,500,000,000, counting non-stop at one number per second: 3,913

Portion of the total federal debt accumulated since 2006: 1/5

Budget surplus in percentage terms, relative to the nominal GDP, 2006: +1.6

Budget balance in percentage terms, relative to the nominal GDP, 2013: -3.0

Percentage increase in the inflation-adjusted average hourly manufacturing wage, 2006-2013: 0

and the list goes on READ MORE: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/op-ed-harpers-economic-index-an-8-year-report-card