PARLIAMENT HILL—MPs are back at it in the House of Commons, resuming debates and accusations after the summer break. And if the first days are any indication, jobs and the economy will dominate the session.
The NDP and Conservatives are duking it out over different visions of how to put Canada on the path to long-term prosperity, while landing jabs over ongoing controversies and controversial policies.
The Conservatives are intent on painting the NDP with the carbon tax brush that worked so well on former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion—who in fact was intent on a major shift towards a carbon tax—but could face a tough battle on numerous fronts.
Each Tory slam of the NDP’s “carbon tax” has been met with counterstrikes aimed at sensitive weak spots: F-35 cost overruns, Elections Canada investigations into Conservative campaigns, CNOOC’s proposed takeover of Nexen, and allegations of ethical misconduct.
NDP leader Thomas Mulcair told his caucus Wednesday that the Tories had mismanaged the economy and the NDP would put forward a positive alternative. But that vision must contend with a well-stated and consistent Tory focus on the economy.
Though the Conservatives have faced sometimes vocal opposition over several files including an ongoing overhaul of immigration, an updated Copyright Act, and a tough line on organized labour, the government has argued that each issue is connected to an overall economic strategy.
During the last sitting, the Tories streamlined environmental reviews to accelerate resource projects, a move the NDP decried as gutting environmental protection. While the NDP accuses the Tories of only listening to the oil lobby, the Tories laugh off NDP policies as bad for the economy.
