Canuck Politics

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged nations to practice “enlightened sovereignty” in his keynote speech to the 2010 Wold Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Notions rooted in a narrow view of sovereignty and national self interest must be reconsidered. We cannot do business as though for one to have more, another must have less.  That is not true, it is not just, and it cannot be the path we take …

Our ambition … must be a shared belief that the rising tide of recovery must lift all boats, not just some. This is the exercise of soverignty at its most enlightened.

- Stephen Harper

Related links:

• Stephen Harpers article in the Toronto Star: G8 agenda: Focus on human welfare
• Full video: Stephen Harper’s keynote address at the 2010 World Economic Forum

Stephen Harper says cooperation among the G-20 economies was instrumental in averting an economic disaster as the worst of the global financial crisis seems to have passed.

If these measures are enacted and we continue to move forward with the G20 process, we will have the kind of global governance that is necessary to ensure the stability and transparency of markets, in a way that gives us the benefits of a globalized market economy without the enormous risks that we have experienced the last few years.

- Stephen Harper

September 16 and 17, 2009 - Stephen Harper delivers an anti-protectionist message at meetings with President Obama in Washington and business leaders in New York.

We know that a dynamic market economy does require governance. Now we’re not going to create a world government, but we do have to have the countries of the world come together and look at global problems together, and look at the global economy as a system.

We have to start to look at things … from a more enlightened view of our national interest that understands that if we don’t think globally, and think about global solutions, if we all simply work on national solutions, we are going to continue to have these kinds of problems.

- Stephen Harper

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Canada will run deficits until budget year 2014/15, two years longer than originally projected.

Opposition parties say Flaherty is incompetent and cannot be trusted.  Liberals promise their alternative plan will be unveiled during the next election.

Links:

• Update of Economic and Fiscal Projections (September 2009)

May 26 to 28, 2009 - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Canada’s 2009/10 budget deficit will grow to over $50 billion, about 50% higher than the $34 billion deficit projected in January.

Liberals demanded Flaherty’s resignation for ‘gross incompetence’.

The government defended its deficit, saying it is necessary during a recession and affordable given Canada’s favourable fiscal position relative to other leading economies.

Links:

• The Economist: How indebted rich countries will be in 2014

May 13 to May 26, 2009 – Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff demands a national eligibility standard for Employment Insurance that would allow jobless workers to qualify for benefits after working 360 hours.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is interviewed on Sky News while at the G-20 meeting in London, England.

Harper rejects a global financial regulator, saying soverign countries will never accept international regulation of their monetary policies.

March 3 to 12, 2009 - Micheal Ignatieff tells Liberal Senators to pass the Conservative budget without any further delay.

Liberal Senators were intending to examine the budget, break it up into several parts, and pass the stimulus measures by March 27.

Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty urged Liberals to pass the budget immediately so unemployed Canadians can access expanded Employment Insurance benefits.

Stephen Harper says Canada will emerge from the global recession faster than other countries, and stronger than before.

Canada was the last advanced country to fall into this recession, we will make sure its effects here are the least severe, and we will come out of this faster than anyone, and stronger than ever.

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper

President Obama and Prime Minister Harper answer questions from the media during Obama’s first foreign visit to Ottawa.

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