NDP REALITY CHECK: while economy teeters Stephen Harper boasts

While the Prime Minister keeps declaring “mission accomplished” and serving up an overly-rosy picture of the Canadian economy, evidence to the contrary is piling up faster than pancakes at a stampede breakfast. The fact is Conservatives have an unbalanced approach to the economy and diminished our nation’s fiscal capacity.

Let’s take a quick trip through some recent Statistics Canada releases for five ways Stephen Harper is misleading Canadians about the economy:

1. GDP shrank in April for the fourth consecutive month. (SOURCE: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150630/dq150630a-eng.htm )
2. Retail sales fell again in April as the sector continues to reel following major closures and layoffs. (SOURCE: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150619/dq150619b-eng.htm)
3. Manufacturing sales dropped by $50 billion in April – the third decline in four months. (SOURCE: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150615/dq150615a-eng.htm)
4. Private sector capital spending – a key metric of future economic performance - is expected to fall by a whopping 7% this year. (SOURCE: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150706/dq150706a-eng.htm)
5. More than 1.3 million Canadians are out of work – 200,000 more than before the recession. (SOURCE: http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/pick-choisir?lang=eng&p2=33&id=2820087 )

With so many reports highlighting Conservative economic mismanagement, it’s clear that after ten years, middle class families are working harder, but can’t get ahead.

Stephen Harper’s plan just isn’t working. Canadians deserve better.