There are a couple of ways of thinking about former prime minister Stephen Harper’s economic legacy. More than anything else, the global surge in the prices of oil and other natural resources defined the economic environment of the Harper years. Some of the Harper government’s initiatives can and have been reversed: the Liberals’ decision to make the long-form census mandatory is an obvious example. International trade liberalization was an important theme for the Harper Conservatives, and this cause has been taken up seamlessly by the Trudeau Liberals. The difference is on the spending side, but even here there are similarities to Harper’s stimulus program.

Source: National Post August 29, 2016 18:56 UTC