Oral Questions – The Economy

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Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the Conservative members who are speaking to this issue of the recent comments by the Leader of the Opposition are distorting what is a well-known term in economic literature. It should not be that controversial to recognize that since 2008, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned Canada that by distorting our policies in resource development, we are creating unnecessary impacts through something called “Dutch disease”.

I have heard there are people in the Conservative ranks who have studied economics. Could they please explain to their colleagues what the term means and that it is not calling any section of this country any derogatory term whatsoever? It is an economics issue. It is valid and it should be discussed.

David Anderson: Mr. Speaker, we all know that the member opposite and her party would love to stop resource development in this country. The reality is that we now have the largest two-month job growth in decades. She should be standing up and congratulating us on that.

While the NDP member was attacking western Canadians, it turns out Canadians actually were not listening. Instead, they were going back to work.

There were 58,000 new jobs last month, 24,000 of them in the manufacturing sector that the member talks about. The problem on the other side is not Dutch disease, it is foot-in-the-mouth disease.