Harper Presents Third Economic Update
Ignatieff, Liberals Prepare for Non-Confidence Vote
Sep 29, 2009
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has presented the economic update in St. John New Brunswick. It’s the third this year, and contains details on the stimulus cash. If the three opposition parties vote against the update, the Harper government will fall.
Harper Uses St. John New Brunswick as Example of How Stimulus Cash Works
The economic update contains details of how the stimulus cash is being rolled out. According to government numbers, 90% of the $29 billion stimulus money has been dedicated to specific projects across Canada.
In his September 28th, speech, Prime Minister Stephen Harper used St. John New Brunswick as an example. The city is home to 7500 infrastructure projects, and 4,000 of them are in construction. In remarks published by the Canadian Press, Harper takes it as an indication his approach is working: “Our efforts are starting to bear fruit… We see stabilization, and early beginnings of a recovery.” His remarks continued saying Canada should keep going with the current approach.
Despite signs of the recovery, Harper warned Canadians should continue being wary. According to Harper, Canada’s strong fiscal position allowed his government to bring in what he termed one of the largest stimulus packages in the G7. But the economy isn’t out of trouble yet. In comments published by CTV.CA he warned the recovery could be stalled by events out of the country’s control: “Just as Canada was dragged into the global recession through no fault of our own, our recovery could be derailed by events beyond our borders.” A stable economy is part of the Conservatives’ argument against an election.
Harper told his audience the signs of recovery are the reason Canada should stick with his government’s Economic Action Plan.
Ignatieff Unveils Non-Confidence Motion, NDP Likely to Support Conservatives
On the same day as the economic update, Michael Ignatieff unveiled his party’s motion of non-confidence. For the Liberal Party it’s about trust. In comments published by CBC.CA, Ignatieff revealed, his party simply doesn’t trust the Harper Government: “The issue with us is just basic trust with what the government is saying to us. We wanted a government that tells Canadians the truth.” The non-confidence motion comes up for a vote October 1st, 2009.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) appears likely to support the Harper government on Employment Insurance (EI) reforms. The government announced a series of reforms to the EI System that would benefit longer-term workers who have lost their jobs. In remarks published by CTV.CA NDP leader Jack Layton calls the reforms a positive step: “The EI announcement appears a step in the right direction.” The NDP may not support the Liberals in the non-confidence motion
The third opposition party the Bloc Québécois (BQ) has announced they will vote against the economic update. All three opposition parties will have to vote against the economic update in order for the government to fall.
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