Roundup: Aspirational job targets

Stephen Harper’s election pledge du jour was a target of 1.3 million net new jobs by 2020, which sounds terribly impressive, but if you listen to the economists talk about it, there are a few caveats. Of course, we should note first that really, government’s don’t create jobs as such, but they can provide the environment that is conducive to investment and hiring. The question for Harper really is a) how many of these jobs would be created regardless of whatever you do, and b) what measures exactly are you proposing to create these jobs, considering that it’s becoming ever more clear that we’re moving into an era of really low growth. And no, just signing trade agreements isn’t enough, nor is just lowering taxes and calling it a day. The Conservatives asked Mike Moffatt and Kevin Milligan to check their figures, and both say that sure, it’s plausible – but it’s going to depend on strong global growth, immigration, and older workers staying in the workforce longer (as in not retiring). Mike Moffatt gives his analysis here, while Milligan (and others) have tweeted their comments.

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/646353978452668416

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/646354120912187392

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/646357137124257792

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/646359832807649280

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/646360403753041920

https://twitter.com/lindsaytedds/status/646347682307411968

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/646347416493363200

https://twitter.com/mikepmoffatt/status/646355410262323200

https://twitter.com/mikepmoffatt/status/646355705893662720

https://twitter.com/mikepmoffatt/status/646360723707293697

On the campaign:

Good reads:

  • The Conservatives are saying that their Terry Fox Foundation funding announcement was in response to a request – but it was phrased as an election promise.
  • Here are some lingering questions after the Up For Debate women’s issues series.
  • Kady O’Malley writes more about the trend about campaigning with company logos in the background.
  • Conclusive proof that Joe Oliver and the Department of Finance scrambled behind the scenes to push up the release of the Fiscal Monitor to head off a PBO report.
  • Civil society groups think we need outside election observers to ensure fairness. Ouch.
  • Hillary Clinton says said she doesn’t support the Keystone XL pipeline, which both the Conservatives and Liberals are in favour of.
  • NDP candidates are trying to say that one of Trudeau’s economic advisor candidates is at odds with the party on pensions. Morneau responded that the NDP can’t read.
  • Paula Simons looks at Trudeau’s facile musings about why young men are turning to violence against women, which were met with accusations of racism.
  • CBC fact-checks the claim that only bogus refugees had their healthcare removed. (Spoiler: Not true).
  • The Canadian Press’ Baloney Meter™ rates Harper’s statement that dropping the F-35s from consideration would “crater” our aerospace industry as a lot of baloney.

Odds and ends:

The Conservatives just lost their candidate in Acadie–Bathurst, not for a social media gaffe, but “personal reasons;” the Hull-Aylmer candidate may soon be under investigation for leaking information.

Apparently that “Harper” ploughed into a field is real – but the image was enhanced by photoshop.

The Conservative candidate in Surrey (a former mayor) is distancing herself from the party’s flyer campaign stoking fear about jihadi terrorists.