We know that conservative GOP administrations in the USA, despite their protestations, are the party of big, uncontrolled spending, while protesting that they intend to ratchet down big government.
People in Canada begin to believe it and accept the Canadian Conservative Government's attacks on the Liberals and New Democrats as "irresponsible tax and spend" parties of the left.
Here is an interesting website with an interactive graph showing Liberal (Pearson, Trudeau, Chretien, Martin) and Conservative (Clark, Mulroney, Harper) governments from 1963 to 2010. Each prime minister's term in office can be individually highlighted.
http://www.cbc.ca/...
In only four years, Harper has gone from an inherited $13.8 billion surplus to a $33.3 billion deficit. Sort of like Saint Ronnie and GWBush.
Not really saints at all.. not even good pretenders.
Now Harper is likely to being in a budget with severe program cuts forecast to cause recessionary pressures: unjustifed cuts in the Old Age Security pension through start-age increases when young people need those jobs held by their elders, etc.