Muskoka Minister’s fact free rant on Fiscal Restraint

Tony Clement, the Minister made famous for spreading $50 million of pork barrelling around his riding – while breaking almost every rule in the book – gave a finger-wagging lecture today to others about fiscal restraint.

And he left his facts at the door.

The Department of Finance’s Fiscal Reference Tables, clearly shows that Conservatives have a worse fiscal record in government than the NDP.

Since 1980, Conservatives at the provincial and federal level have balanced the books only 41% of the time, while the NDP balanced the books 48% of the time.

And let’s not forget the record of Liberal governments, who have balanced the books only 27% of the time, and the PQ who kept the books balanced just 29% of their years in government.

Perhaps the next time Mr. Clement chooses to lecture others on fiscal restraint, he will do his homework, first.

Political party

Years in surplus

Number of Budgets

Budgets in Deficit

NDP

47.7 %

65

34

Conservative

41.3 %

172

101

Liberal

26.6 %

109

80

PQ

28.6 %

14

10

Source: 1980-2011; Government of Canada, "Fiscal reference Tables" (October 2011)