Editor:
Re: Divergent leadership, Feb. 17 letters.
The facts in Mary Bruce’s letter are misleading.
Regarding balanced books and paying off the current debt, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation – a well-respected organization, especially by Conservatives – has the true facts regarding Canada’s national debt. Their facts show former prime minister Stephen Harpers’ Conservatives had balanced books in only two years of their mandate and increased our current debt by $152 billion.
I can only assume Harpers’ Conservatives do not care that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off this added debt.
Regarding the 2008 financial crisis, the legislation governing Canadian banks was not enacted by Harper. It had been in place for many years. Further, it is well documented that much of the credit for the protection of our respected banking system goes to former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, who in 1998 announced that two high-profile bank mergers would not be allowed to proceed, thus ensuring a stable banking system.
Harper was prime minister for nine years. In that time, he avoided the media, gave lip service to open and transparent government and imparted his personnel philosophy on Canadians – a philosophy of fear, divide and conquer and making financial decisions that inflicted hardship on the most vulnerable.
In his haste to change this country, he forgot one thing: Canadians are caring people, and in the end they decisively rejected his ideology.
Ian Routledge, White Rock