VIDEO: Mulcair railed against job supports, before pretending to favour them

October 2, 2015

MONTREAL – “Throughout this campaign, Thomas Mulcair has pretended to support local businesses, but in the National Assembly, Mulcair fought aggressively against investing in local businesses to help create jobs,” said Liberal candidate for Westmount—Ville-Marie, Marc Garneau.

“It’s yet another demonstration that Mulcair will say anything,” continued Mr. Garneau.“The only thing Thomas Mulcair’s experience has taught him is to play politics with everything, including Canadian jobs.”

Mulcair says he supports industry-specific grants now, but here is what Mulcair said in the National Assembly:

“Sometimes it’s a loan; sometimes it’s a downright grant.Then he comes to us with still more or less the same argument, he says: well, see, it creates x jobs and eventually these people will pay taxes; therefore, it is good for the economy. A demonstration that is easy to do, but oh how misleading, because it fails to look at the long term effect of this corporate welfare.”
(Translation: Thomas Mulcair, National Assembly, November 30, 2000)

“But the problem is that it distorts everything. In Quebec, people now expect their corporate welfare cheque before investing. In Quebec, the government is now so pervasive and plays so much in so many sectors at a time that we can no longer talk about a free market.”
(Translation: Thomas Mulcair, National Assembly, April 25, 2001)

“Mulcair says today that he will offer all sorts of grants to business,” said Mr. Garneau, pointing to Mulcair’s promises to introduce tax credits for labour-sponsored venture capital funds, a microbrewery tax credit, grants for aerospace, and funding for manufacturers. “But those promises are meaningless because he doesn’t really believe in supporting job creators.”

“It’s just the latest example that Thomas Mulcair’s words are meaningless. Mulcair railed against Quebec daycare, but now says he wants to replicate it in the rest of Canada. Mulcair denies arguing for water privatization and export despite video evidence. And yesterday, we learned that he spoke out against the Davie shipyard, before pretending to support it,” continued Mr. Garneau. “Only Justin Trudeau has a plan to invest in the middle class, and help create high-quality, middle class jobs. Liberals will continue to champion economic growth through long term investments in our infrastructure and economy.”