As end of year interviews go, Flaherty's "shoot the messenger" interview with the Globe is one for the books.
First, this government erases Canada's surplus (and Flaherty-Harper cannot blame that on the recession; they brought us to deficits before Sept 08), then it keeps cutting corporate taxes, and increasing spending. When the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer (a position created by the Harper government) reported that these policies will lead to a structural deficit, Flaherty denounced the conclusion and started aiming more at the messenger than the message.
The PBO, Kevin Page, has been under attack by the Harperites for two years. He has bravely continued to produce high quality reports on the state of the nation's finances, without regard for currying political favour. So, the PBO reported the government was unlikely to meet its deficit cutting targets, had no good evidence of job creation from the massive stimulus package, was likely to cost billions in the so-called tough on crime policies, and so on.
One would think that an end of the year interview with a major national newspaper would give a Minister of Finance a chance to focus on economic challenges. Not in this government. It is just another chance to attack Kevin Page. It has been reported for years that the PBO lacks an adequate budget. Much if its work depends on people seconded from Treasury Board and Finance. Budget cutting has been one of the ways the Harperites get revenge on the PBO. But Flaherty went farther. He suggested that the office doesn't lack for cash. It lacks "credibility" he says.
So dirty pool gets dirtier. First attack the messenger and then attack the quality of the work. The problem for Flaherty is that independent economists tend to find the PBO more credible.
Having harassed and fired a long list of diligent civil servants -- Linda Keen, Paul Kennedy, Pat Strogan, to name a few -- one thing that does not lack for credibility is threats from the Harperites. Hats off to Kevin Page for hanging on to personal integrity. Now that he has signalled that he will not seek a second term in the post, it is time for Opposition Parties to rally to ensure the office gets the resources it needs to provide independent advice for future parliaments.