Unifor Economist Jim Stanford takes on Stephen Harper economic record

BRAMPTON/ OAKVILLE, Sept. 28, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor Economist Jim Stanford will be speaking in Oakville and Brampton on the evenings of Tuesday, September 29 and Thursday, October 1 at free public events, deconstructing the economic record of the Conservative government, which has had the worst performance of any government in Canada's postwar history.

Stanford will be presenting the research documented in "Rhetoric and Reality: Evaluating Canada's Economic Record Under the Harper Government," which he authored with Unifor colleague Jordan Brennan.  The report tracks the performance of nine federal governments from 1946 through 2014.

"Canada's economy has never performed worse, since the end of World War II, than under the present Conservative government."

The auto industry is a crucial employer in both Oakville and Brampton, and Stanford will also address the threat to auto jobs posed by new rules in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.  "The Conservatives talk a lot about trade and globalization, yet Canada's exports have performed worse under their leadership than under any other postwar government, and we now face a record trade deficit," said Stanford.

Jim Stanford- Rhetoric and Reality: Evaluating Canada's Economic Record Under the Harper Government 
Tuesday, September 29 at 7 p.m.
Unifor Local 707, 475 North Service Road East, Oakville

Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m.
Unifor Local 1285 Hall, 23 Regan Road, Brampton, ON

*Free and open to the public*

Canada's economy slipped into recession in the first half of 2015, the second recession under Stephen Harper's leadership.  The Unifor report evaluated the economic records of postwar governments on the basis of 16 different economic indicators, using annual data from 1946 through 2014.  With the economic slowdown in 2015, the Harper government's performance now ranks even worse – compared to previous Canadian Prime Ministers, as well as to other OECD countries.

View the complete report here, the two page summary or the short explanatory video. Stanford will be available for interviews before or after the event.

SOURCE Unifor

please contact Unifor Communications Shannon Devine (cell) 416-302-1699 [email protected] or Unifor Economist Jim Stanford (cell) 416-230-2046 [email protected]