Finance critic for Liberals blames Prime Minister for job losses

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From press release – As the Canadian economy shed a net 43,000 jobs in October, Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “don’t worry be happy” attitude in the early phases of the recession.

“A little over a year ago, Stephen Harper promised Canadians that if they re-elected him Prime Minister, there would be no recession in Canada,” said Mr. McCallum. “One year later not only is Canada among the minority of G7 countries who haven’t escaped recession, our economy has lost over half a million jobs.”

Related story -Jobless recovery with US unemployment at 10.2% in October Canada at 8.6%

Job numbers fell 70,300 last month, partially offset by 27,500 Canadians declaring themselves self-employed. From October 2008 to October 2009 the Canadian economy has shed 503,500 jobs. Jobs for women and youths were particularly hard hit over the past month, accounting for the bulk of October’s job losses.

“While Minister Stockwell Day was quick to declare the recession over last July, Canadian families suffering from job losses were looking for a real job creation plan,” said Mr. McCallum. “While Michael Ignatieff has a plan to create the clean energy economy of the future, Conservatives were more preoccupied with handing out giant cheques with Conservative Party logos on them than they were with actually getting infrastructure stimulus shovels in the ground.”

The GDP numbers released last Friday showed a decline in economic activity in August, contradicting Conservative claims that 90 percent of the economic stimulus package was already underway and creating jobs.