A couple of days ago I wrote about how on the state-run CBC —on their “The National” “news” program’s “Reality Check” segment with Neil MacDonald— they insinuated, after the most ridiculous analysis I’ve seen to date, that the Conservatives plan to “raise taxes”—specifically income taxes.
I called it what it was, to anyone who would listen to me (which by that point in my outrage was only my dog, who even left the room eventually): a bold-faced lie. And I suggested in my blog entry that some will interpret that reporting on their taxpayer-funded CBC as a blatant attempt to mislead Canadians. Well this seems to have been borne out by this admission in their state-run CBC.ca People’s Web Site version of “Reality Check” —a “Reality Check” on themselves as it really turns out:
Ever since CBC Reality Check reported on Friday that a Conservative government plans to rescind income tax cuts that have been in effect since Jan. 1, there has been much back and forth on the campaign trail about which party truly has taxpayers’ interests at heart.
[No there hasn’t—you simply got caught saying something misleading.]
The Conservatives issued a press release calling our report “misleading” and “false,” but agreed that the Liberal cuts to personal income tax would indeed be rolled back by 2007
[And note the year—2007, which is contrary to the crack reporters’ earlier submissions]
.
On the other hand, our Reality Check promises chart confirms that the Conservatives are correct when they assert that Canadians will be paying less tax under a government led by Stephen Harper. In fact, it’s not even close. As of Friday, Jan. 6, the Conservatives have promised $58.4 billion in tax cuts spread over the next five years, compared to $40.8 billion for the NDP and $33.4 billion for the Liberals.
Well what do you know.
But it’s still unreal. Why don’t they rescind their earlier remarks and insinuations on national taxpayer-funded television on their premier news program —that Conservatives’ plans to “raise income taxes”?
I’d also said that one cannot look at 1/5 of the whole picture and then insinuate, as they did, that as a general matter Conservatives plan to “raise taxes”. I said: “Even while calling his own conclusion “puzzling”, he [Neil MacDonald] sheepishly admits at the very tail end of his smug “news report” (and I use the term loosely) that the Conservatives haven’t even rolled-out their whole tax relief plan yet(!).”
Last night, I noticed that Neil MacDonald said, in analyzing a remark made during the debate, that “that’s true, but, it’s not the whole picture…”.
He’s nothing if not consistent. Which if you do the math makes him nothing.
They also make this claim (in the form of a pseudo economic analysis) in their online “Reality Check”:
But here’s something to keep in mind when evaluating all this spending and tax cutting. The federal Finance Department, as well as most economists, projects that the federal surplus over the next five years will be in the neighbourhood of $55 billion. These projections have been wrong before, but if they are right, it means that with two weeks to go, all the parties have already spent the surplus and a whole lot more trying to win your vote. Maybe the time has come to start asking all the party leaders where they intend to get the money to pay for all their promises.
But they defiantly neglect to mention that this is not altogether as neat and tidy as they make it out to be. (These people analyze things like a grade-school blogger might, as I said in my blog entry on this topic).
I pointed out in another blog entry what I’ll point out again here:
… the Conference Board of Canada, a body upon which all Canadian governments rely for advice and council relating to finances and economic matters, endorsed the Conservative plans fully—in fact saying largely the opposite of what the Liberals are claiming to nobody’s surprise except the Liberals who can’t even remotely count or be trusted in any way, shape, or form.
[…] the Conservatives released a letter from the Conference Board of Canada saying that the party’s economic platform “is affordable” through the 2010 fiscal year and even allows for a $15.7-billion cushion.
The letter was written last month by Paul Darby, the deputy chief economist for the Conference Board, who is one of the economists frequently consulted on economic forecasting questions by the federal government.
[…] “In summary,” Paul Darby, Deputy Chief Economist of the CBoC is quoted as saying, “we found that the Conservative Party’s economic platform is affordable in each fiscal year from 2005-2006 through 2010-2011. In each year there is enough fiscal room to pay down at least $3 billion a year in debt, as in the (government’s) fiscal plan.”
The Conference Board, which was given access to the entire Tory platform to conduct its analysis, also found that there is substantial surplus in the Conservative fiscal plan.
“Over the five-year forecast horizon to 2010-2011, the CBoC economic and fiscal outlook suggests that there remains $15.7 billion in unallocated fiscal room, over and above the annual debt payment, which provides further cushion to ensure that deficits do not occur due to adverse economic effects,” Darby said.
I humbly suggest that the CBC’s Neil MacDonald get on the air in an upcoming “Reality Check”, and do a reality check while standing facing a mirror. Perhaps pin a big sign on his back reading “hidden agenda” (or should it be “not-so-hidden agenda”?)
Then he might consider apologizing to Canadians for doing what many Canadians might think he and all of the CBC was doing: misleading them during an important election and on an important subject that has important ramifications on their lives.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt—maybe it’s not as nefarious as I suspect. Maybe they’re simply very bad at their jobs but either way, they’re not serving Canadians’ best interest at all whatsoever.
And that’s a reality.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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