Harper boasts of accomplishments for 2012, NDP has different take

The Canadian Press / Times Colonist
December 31, 2012

Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes part in a question and answer session at the Canadian American Business Council in Ottawa on Monday, November 19, 2012. Harper is ending the year by listing his government's achievements in 2012, but the Opposition is pointing to several low-lights.In a statement, Harper says Canada will enter 2013 with some of the strongest economic growth among the Group of Seven richest nations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is ending the year by listing his government's achievements in 2012, but the Opposition is pointing to several low-lights.

In a statement, Harper says Canada will enter 2013 with some of the strongest economic growth among the Group of Seven richest nations.

And he says the world has taken note, with Forbes magazine ranking Canada No. 1 in its annual review of the best countries for business.

The Opposition New Democrats, however, are pointing to what they see as the Conservative government's worst moments.

One of them, they say, was Harper's decision to allow the $15-billion takeover of oil giant Nexen by a Chinese state-owned company.

The NDP says that decision was the worst Tory low-light from 2012.

But the prime minister says his government helped Canadians by aggressively pursuing trade and investment agreements and streamlining the review process for major economic projects.

Critics have called that code for gutting environmental protections.