The NDP and the Liberals promise to revitalize our economy by creating new green jobs and fostering the growth of industry. We’re all for that, but need to know more about how this might happen.
Free trade is now the way of doing business. Our industries and associated jobs were once protected by tariffs, but this hasn’t been the case for a long time. Manufacturing goes to places with low cost overheads including wages, plant costs and environmental controls. That’s why most manufacturing has moved to China and India and why our auto plants and jobs keep trickling down to Mexico. We’re addicted to the low retail prices that come from this. Just check the place of origin on things in Walmart. Justin and Tom probably don’t shop at Walmart though.
How might the Liberals and NDP reverse this trend? By abandoning free trade and re-establishing tariffs? Subsidies and tax relief for Canadian industry? Wage and price controls? Less environmental controls on industry? Will there be a big fat bureaucracy to regulate all of this. Consumers around the world are motivated to buy things by the price tag so we must be competitive to succeed.
Both the Liberals and the NDP refuse to support the resource sector and business, the proven engines of our economy. They want to tax them instead. Justin says to tax the rich and promises a chicken in every pot for the middle class. That’s an old line, but it’s always worth a try. First it was going to be a self-balancing budget, now he wants big spending with a deficit for three years. One dose of Trudeau economics per lifetime was enough. Merci.
Mr. Mulcair’s incentive program for small business brings to mind 101 NDP Dragon’s Dens across the country with applicants given tax breaks and subsidies on the social and environmental benefits of their proposals instead of on their business merits. I see ventures like a pine tar soap factory and belly button lint removal clinics in the offing. The real Dragons have a good grasp of how small business works and some of them have forecasted disaster with an NDP run economy. The NDP have always been very good at spending and re-distributing wealth, but do poorly at creating it.
John Thompson
Kaleden