Probably the worst disaster that could befall Canada this early in the new millennium is not an economy that’s tanked or a governing coalition comprised of the Liberals/NDP/Bloc. It’s likely the most disastrous event that could befall Canada right now would be for Bob Rae to win the leadership of the Liberal Party and then go on to bamboozle the electorate into a Liberal majority. Truly this is conjecture predicated on two events that at this time seem unlikely, but remember, this is Canukistan where the unexpected is beginning to become routine.
The reason a Bob Rae government would be so disastrous is that Bob Rae clings to the same ideas today that he did when he was premier of Ontario. Some of you may be too young to recall how the NDP government under the leadership of Bob Rae took a relatively mild recession in Ontario and turned it into a lengthy winter of discontent that progressively worsened over the five years he clung to power. Under his guidance, provincial budget deficits of $10 billion or more became routine as Rae was convinced that all the province needed for a strong recovery was an increase in government spending to, um “stimulate” the economy. Instead of stimulating it, his policies nearly gave it heart failure. And if it hadn’t been for the CPR the Mike Harris government administered, after the voters turfed Rae’s NDP, Ontario would have become a “have-not” province in 1996, rather than wait for the firm hand of Dalton McGuinty to complete the job this year.
To hear Rae talk these days, all it will take to turn this worldwide economic crisis around is for the government of Canada to dump some $30 billion into the economic barnyard and pretty soon the economy will turn into a flock of fat, happy chickens. That’s pretty much what he said 18 years ago at the outset of that recession and it appears that his ensuing years in the wilderness haven’t taught him very much—either about economics or about hubris. The only conclusion one can draw from the drivel pouring out of Rae’s mouth is that you can take Bob Rae out of the NDP, but you can’t take the NDP out of Bob Rae.
This is probably one of the main reasons why Rae was so eager for the Liberals to hop into the sack with Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe. These guys are all to the left of Mao Dzedong and the only solution they ever have for a problem, any problem, is to toss buckets and buckets of taxpayers’ dollars at it. It’s the only language they know. “Cut back? Moi? You must be joking!”
Mike Harris fixed Rae’s boo-boos by introducing cuts in both taxes and government spending, which is usually a sure-fire method to stimulate anemic economies. And while a little infrastructure spending on the part of the government will serve to pare back some of those awful jobless figures we’re all expecting, the only thing that will “fix” the economy is an array of government policies that are prudent and conservative (notice the small “c”).
It’s one of the facts of history that can be and have been replicated over the past 50 years. John F. Kennedy stimulated the American economy with massive tax cuts back in 1962, which resulted in a booming economy until marginal tax rates climbed back into the stratosphere under Jimmy Carter. Then Ronald Reagan brought back tax cuts and cuts in government spending and again the economy went into an upswing.
Canada has been on track with similar policies that began under Brian Mulroney and continued through the Chretien years culminating with annual surpluses of over $10 billion. We simply can’t afford another experiment in government wishing to spend itself rich.
Yes, Stephen Harper isn’t a warm, fuzzy guy and yes, he has cold, snake-like eyes and he probably makes babies cry while attempting to kiss them. But who cares, so long as he manages the economy prudently and doesn’t let government spending get out of hand.
Bob Rae, in contrast, is a little cuddly teddy bear who probably has the same substance in his head that real teddy bears do and, frankly, having him at the helm of Canada scares the hell out of me. He has a demonstrated inability to deal with financial crises, as is clearly documented in the history books. Before considering him for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada (and by implication, that of the nation) it would be a good idea to check his record. It’s not a pretty picture.
Klaus Rohrich is senior columnist for Canada Free Press. Klaus also writes topical articles for numerous magazines. He has a regular column on RetirementHomes and is currently working on his first book dealing with the toxicity of liberalism. His work has been featured on the Drudge Report, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, among others. He lives and works in a small town outside of Toronto.
