Right, they show the Conservatives with a deep deficit and then TADA!! the Liberals show surpluses. No years are shown, just Conservative and Liberal faces. This is one of the most disgusting pieces of biased reporting I have seen from CTV, and they are bad on a good day.
I decided to look for the real numbers from Trudeau to present to show the real picture. Here is what the real data shows:(page nine)
Not quite the same picture as CTV presents. If you still doubt me, look at this graph:
Just like the eco-nuts tried to wipe out warm periods in our history, CTV is trying to wipe out Trudeau deficits, the main cause of our debt problems.
No bias by CTV, nope, their graph is a totally acceptable propaganda tool for the Liberals.
25 comments:
This is a really good article, Hunter.
CTV went back 25 years for gawd's sake. Just 'cuz you hate Trudeau doesn't mean they should go back to 1968. Let's face it. Mulroney was terrible for the Canadian taxpayer. Chretien/Martin fixed it and now HArer is repeating Tory sins of the past.
Tories can't manage the economy. They rely too heavily on spending gimmicks for electoral support.
Thanks unambig!
GritPatriot, so let's forget that Trudeau got us into the debt mess, because he was a Liberal? Let's also remember that Mulroney had to pay interest on Trudeau's debt at 18% and that the country was fighting stagflation at the same time.
Like I said, Liberals like to fudge the data, and how do you know that CTV went back 20 years, they didn't give any years on their graph?
Typical lefty thinking, it's never their fault.
Actually, Grit - Mulroney tackled the deficit left behind by Trudeau - that's why the hated GST was introduced. Chretien promised to scrap the GST but he lied. Martin "fixed" the deficit by cutting transfer payments, devastating the health care system, and collecting EI premiums which were NOT put into an EI account but, rather, into general revenue so that he could post surpluses. The result actually hurt Canadians because provinces nad municpalities had to download services and raise provincial and municipal taxes. All the while, our health care system diminished (resulting in a health tax in Ontario) and Canadian workers were paying EI premiums at a higher rate than required. Also, Martin made it much more difficult to collect EI when needed. So, actually, Chretien was much worse for Canadians than Mulroney ever was.
How about the fact that one of the biggest factors that helped the Liberals on the way to balancing the budget was the GST which they promised to cancel and then promptly forgot about? Martin obtained most of the other funds to balance the budget by slashing transfer payments to the Provinces. Everyone who bashes the Mike Harris government forgets the fact that Martin took billions of dollars out of Ontario's pockets, leaving the PC's no choice.
Bingo hunter!
It is ALL about the interest component of the budget. It was next to nothing until Trudeau created his enormous cumulative debt. The only way to get out from under it was a long slow trek. It took years.
How old are the Liberal naysayers?
Were they even affected by the Trudeau mess or is it just ignored?
40 years people, with a total of 11 being Conservatives government.
That's 29 years of over taxation, over government and sticking it to the middle class and provinces.
Great article, Hunter. You should send it to CTV, so that the likely under 30 something researcher, can get some education.
I am sick of this chronic half truth stuff, that these people write and report.
''Chretien/Martin fixed it''
Why?
Because of the Reform Party!,
once the Liberals stopped laughing at the Reformers ideas (when they became Official Opposition) Liberals took the most popular Reform ideas, debt reduction and balanced budgets, and made them a Liberal idea.
How?
With Mulroney's GST and Freetrade.
In 1993 Chretien campaigned against both, within weeks of being elected, Chretien signed onto NAFTA and kept the GST.
Then what?
The Liberals slayed the deficit by
cutting transfers to the provinces,
raiding civil servants pension funds and illegally charging Canadian business and workers EI premiums,
these funds were used to inflate general revenues,
which produced surplus' from 2001-2005.
Just incase you Liberals forgot.
Good post Hunter.
Looks like GP hit his Peter Principle
I don't know what the problem is with the browser you are using, but when I go to the CTV link you provide, it shows dates very clearly.
I suspect Hanter, that you to increase your screen resolution. When I reduce the window size of my browser (decrease the height) the flash media presentation cuts the graphic off in favour of the Finance Minister Picture and Text.
No media bias here Hunter, just an IDTenTango error on your part and the flash media designers part.
Just heard a little clip of Robert Fife on CFRA almost praising the tory budget but as it ended he remarked that the tories took all the good points from the Libs and NDP,just another creative spin from our great CTV spin team.
As a Liberal, I think the Trudeau comparison should actually make us even more concerned about Harper's mismanagement of our finances.
If it took 20 years to balance a $30 billion deficit, how long is it going to take to balance Harper's $64 billion deficit?
We can argue all we want about who balanced the books. Obviously, Mulroney did not get the job done. Obviously, the reforms Mulroney made helped the Liberals balance the books. Obviously, it took a lot of political courage, leadership and belt tightening all around for the Liberals to balance the books. That is all history.
Does anyone actually believe that Harper can manage this massive a debt? He has been less than forthcoming or honest and very flippant about how to get us out of the financial mess he has created. Does anyone believe Harper when he says, like Bush said, it will be only a few years????
Just a few months ago, he told us we would never have a deficit, we would not be going into a recession, we would actually be having a $100 million surplus, no stimulus was needed, Canadians weren't worried about their jobs, there were great buying opportunities out there.
Then we learn that he was already running a $13 billion deficit that he avoided telling voters about, all due to his record-breaking spending and record-breaking tax cuts.
Then, when he realizes his job is on the line, he tells us that "deficits are essential", that we absolutely have to have a stimulus package and that we may have a depression on our hands.
Every economist was predicting a huge economic downturn. Greenspan said it could be as bad as the Great Depression before last summer. And Harper says no one predicted this? Instead, he shatters spending records in good times with the solid financial conditions that he inherited from the Liberals?
Our self-described "economist" PM has demonstrated that he does not in fact know much about the economy. Instead of doing anything about it he has avoided Parliament since the spring.
He'll do and say anything to save his own job, but he won't do much to save ours except tell us that we aren't worried about our jobs and there are good buying opportunities out there.
He has been erratic and reckless in his handling of the economy and our finances. He has shown he is not an economist, not a leader and needs to go.
And in one simple post Hunter explains to even the kool-aid drinkers why this budget is a _bad_ thing for conservatives.
Listen to all the excuses in here . . . talking about interest rates in the 80's, taxes introduced in the 80's. All in an effort to change the _set in stone_ narrative that the Liberals fixed the economy.
Conservatives have been trying to change that meme since 96 and they haven't been successful. So, we'll continue trying, I guess. Nothing like trying over and over the same thing and expecting different results.
I like the chances of our newest plan. Setting up the same situation. The Conservatives will happily set the scenario for exactly the same narrative and not only bless the PM over it, but will actually attack any and all nay-sayers they can get their hands on.
That's sure to change the channel that the Conservatives are big spenders and the Liberals are the fiscally responsible.
Cheers,
lance
Excellent article!
I am getting sick and tired of the media blatantly lying either through ommission of facts or by misrepresenting the truth by using inaccurate context.
They need to be called on it.
And Grit Patriot - did you not understand that it was on the backs of workers like you and I through increased EI that Martin "balanced" the budget.
Between that and the GST - how could they not balance the budget.
The Tories have given us back some of that money used to balance the books by the Liberal gang; hopefully this budget will see us get some more back.
"Then we learn that he was already running a $13 billion deficit that he avoided telling voters about, all due to his record-breaking spending and record-breaking tax cuts."
Please provide a link to prove that statement
It is absurd for Liberals to claim that they are the party of balanced budgets. The problem in the Trudeau years was the size of the deficits, in good years, bad years or indifferent years. As mentioned above, one of the tricks Martin used to balance the budget was an illegal transfer of the EI fund into general revenue. If this fund had been managed properly and allowed to accumulate, would those funds not be available now for laid off workers? Instead we have to borrow this money from taxpayers. I am bothered by the lack of interest shown by the MSM in the recent supreme court decision.
repost of a post at "neoconservative"'s place, which was too much truth so he deleted it:
This is why your "strategy" of blaming the opposition will fail, Kory, I mean wilson.
You should really try to come up with something original. We see in the US far right talking points: "Obama is doing what Bush would do, if you now like it, you just hate Bush". Example is troop surges.
The reality is the same policies in the hands of the gang that can't shoot straight will often be a disaster, while with the smart people they at least have a chance.
We saw here, in the Harper Senate appointments. We know Harper hates the Senate, (along with most of our institutions), and since his ideology is against the Senate, he appoints party hacks and unqualified people. The Senate, if you recall, is supposed to carefully analyze legislation, provide the sober second thought. You can use it to reward people, but they should be people who have some understanding of law and the Constitution.
So it goes that Harper is ideologically opposed to deficits, and so will not use them prudently. He's so desperate to cling to power that he will try measures that he opposes and will therefore do badly. Doing them badly also makes disaster more likely, and in his petty mind he believes Canadians will blame the Opposition.
Watch the shrieking from the right when the Coalition puts this excuse for a government out of its misery. Watch the louder screaming when the coalition government simply adopts the same measures as were in this budget. The only difference will be a reduced projected deficit.
The difference is the budget will be administered by the representatives of the majority of Canadians, and the smartest of those, instead of boneheads like HarperFlaherty, managing it.
"The difference is the budget will be administered by the representatives of the majority of Canadians, and the smartest of those, instead of boneheads like HarperFlaherty, managing it."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BHAHAHAHA BWHAHAHAHA
Oh LS - that was hilarious!! Thanks for making my day!!!
If you even for a moment think that the Coalition is going to actually take power; you have not been listening to Iggy doing his best to walk the fence; but sending signals that there is no way on God's green earth that he would be voting down this budget.
Alberta Girl:
You are either being disingenuous about the Supreme Court decision or you did not read it.
The Supreme Court said that the Chretien cabinet was not allowed to change the EI premiums, but that moving the surplus into general revenue was perfectly legal.
But I like this argument you folks are trying. Spending so much time and energy on past fights like Trudeau vs Mulroney, what happened with the EI in the mid-90s. It shows how quickly you've gotten out of touch with what matters to Canadians today. It's like the Republicans thinking Americans cared more about Obama's connections with Ayers than with today's economy.
Large and small "c" conservatives continually show that they just don't get it.
First off this budget is a use or lose it budget. Anyone not using it will save the govt money and decrease the deficit.
Interest rates are much lower today than in PETs.
Fife, Iggy and others have said today that this budget reflects many of the ideas of the coalition. So, we can blame the coalition for forcing us into deficit. Pay equity and freezing union wages are still there. We await with bated breath the great one's decision tomorrow morning at 11.00 a.m. Why wait, if he knows his decision already. If he knows he can say yes or no tomorrow why not now. The suspence is not killing me.
Actually some of the comments today could be a good replacement for the Friday funnies.
QP is back so look fwd to your clips of it.
Today PMSH really smacked down Layton, IMHO.
Layton was going on about appointing senators blah blah, and PMSH come back with.
Mr Speaker, the MP from Toronto Danforth is just jealous that I did it before he could.
The GDP today is almost 3 times what it was in the 80's. That makes both the debt and the deficit relatively less and should be easier to take care of when revenues return to normal. I still would have preferred much more in the form of overall tax reductions. Also, red tape and regulation are a huge drag on the economy.
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CTV.... the Comedy Channel
pierre? pierre who?
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