Yes, it's true. Stephen Harper says the Conservatives will raise taxes! Que the incessant attacks against how now... Here's the quote, by Harper, from today's question period:
we need to raise taxesScandal! Shame! Outrage! And so on! Clearly, now the Liberals must mention this every time they ask a question in the HoC, use it on every member's statement, and repeat the line relentlessly every time they see a microphone.
What's that? You want the context? Context, shmontext, he says we need to raise taxes! He's a heathen, that's all that matters. Taxes!!
Ok, fine, here's the full exchange. Party pooper:
Hon. John mccallum (l): So the implication of what the prime minister said is to agree with the liberal party and increase ei. I would also suggest that both the prime minister and the minister of finance subscribe to an excellent publication entitled "deficits for dummies." It might help them come to some understanding. But my question to the finance minister is, canadians want to see the colour of your money. The deficits are soaring. The deficits are soaring. The promises are soaring. But we're seeing nothing invested in communities and canadians aren't seeing any jobs created.Context, shomtext. He said "we need to raise taxes"! To the barricades! Rawwwr, and what not!
The speaker: The right honourable prime minister.
Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada: Mr. Speaker, let's be clear: When we did our pre-budget consultations, the liberal party wanted two more weeks of employment insurance. So, mr. Speaker, we gave five more weeks of employment insurance, plus all kinds of additional money for training for people both on ei and not on ei. These are measures to help the unemployed in this recession. What we're not going to do is every two or three months come up with another economic policy, another budget until we need to go into -- until we need to raise taxes. Our deficits are affordable, but they will remain short-term.
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7 comments:
All kidding aside, though he was displaying his most "I am in control" seething delivery, I honestly don't know where that thought was going in that statement.
He sounded like he said they wouldn't come back to revisit economic policy until they went into deficit, then quickly realizing that had already occurred he shift to the "when we need to raise taxes" finish.
I don't think it's a "stretch" or even a misstatement to see this as pretty clear evidence that Harper knows where this is heading.
The Liberals should jump all over it, and rightly so. I want to know when Harper intends to raise taxes. I am very curious when sound financial management will return, and how they intend to deliver it.
He also called McCallum a "esteemed economist" in another answer and then called the Liberals the "government". Maybe he should show up more often, seems a bit rusty.
At the very least, whenever the Con clowns rise to quote Ignatieff's tax comment, we now have the PERFECT retort.
Well, I think it's clear Harper meant to say "we're not going to raise taxes" (or something of that sort) because he was talking about the things he wouldn't do.
But, yeah, it came out kind of garbled...definitely a shakey day for him in QP.
I think you are offering a more than generous stretch to get to what you think he intended to say to what he actually said.
He wasn't talking about what they wouldn't do. It was an unless statement. People don't say "unless I don't do x"
No, I think it was a clear case of stepping into his own lie. Even his exasperated "none of you know what to do" lament later seemed to be more a statement on himself than the opposition.
If Harper is rusty at anything, he's rusty on blustery arrogant lying in Question Period. Strangely, the fact that he might get rusty at that every once in a while is mildly appealing. No, I take that back.
I think it is a massive stretch to get to what you think he meant from what he actually said.
It was an "unless" qualifier statement. People don't say "unless I don't do x"
I think it was just a rare slip up to the truth because he started to step into his own spin.
Even his exasperated claim that "none of you know what to do" was more a statement about himself than it was the opposition.
His plans have gone horribly wrong, and now he's created a structural deficit that he cannot tame, all without his blessed majority to shield him.
The only rust is from the collapsing facade of arrogance as time wears on.
Wow, that is some reaching here, lol.
Lets see, Harper said he doesn't want to take us to a place where raising taxes will be necessary, and you somehow infer that he means that........he wants to raise taxes!?
Heh. Heh heh heh. Now THAT is funny. I know soome of you guys are so desperate to find likewise something to trip up the PM after those truth ads lambasted Iggy with his own words, but DAMN< lol.
Harkov:
If you think that is a funny sign of desperation, you will roll on the floor dying of laughter when you find out what the Conservatives have been doing for months with snippets of quotations from Ignatieff. Seriously, have a seat before googling it.
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