Harper-era Conservative government (Canada)

Doctrine — stated goals and content

Pragmatic-conservative supply-side programme combining consumption-tax cuts, corporate-tax competitiveness, resource-sector support, and post-crisis fiscal consolidation, with a counter-cyclical Keynesian interlude in 2008-2010. Economically right-of-centre — closer to a Canadian Chicago/ supply-side blend than classical Red Tory — though socially moderate. Core policy content: (i) GST reduction from 7% to 6% (July 2006) then to 5% (January 2008); (ii) Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) introduced in Budget 2008, effective January 2009, with contribution room raised to $10,000 in Budget 2015; (iii) federal general corporate income tax rate cut on a pre-legislated schedule from 22.12% (2007) to 15% by January 2012; (iv) Economic Action Plan 2009 — roughly $47B two-year stimulus package of infrastructure, housing, EI extensions and targeted tax measures in response to the global financial crisis, producing a $55.6B deficit in 2009-10; (v) post-2010 fiscal consolidation via the Strategic and Operating Review and Budget 2012 cuts returning the federal budget to surplus in 2015; (vi) Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) concluded in principle October 2013 and signed September 2014, plus Trans-Pacific Partnership text concluded October 2015; (vii) resource-sector expansion stance — Keystone XL advocacy, Northern Gateway approval (2014), omnibus environmental-assessment streamlining in Bills C-38 and C-45 (2012); (viii) Bill C-51 Anti- Terrorism Act 2015 expanding CSIS disruption powers and information- sharing; (ix) withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol December 2011. Proponents frame the package as broad-based tax relief, trade diversification, and fiscal return-to-balance; critics frame it as environmental deregulation, civil-liberties drift, and under-investment in public goods. Popularity: 2006 election 36.3% / 124 seats (40%), 2008 37.7% / 143 seats (46%), 2011 majority 39.6% / 166 seats (54%); 2015 lost with 31.9% / 99 seats. Coherence line: supply-side tax competitiveness + trade opening + fiscal anchor, with a single explicit counter-cyclical deviation during 2009-10.