Carol Goar: "I didn't explore the possibility that [Flaherty] was lying

..... Perhaps I should have?"

For Immediate Release
May 11, 2009

Just the Facts:

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's memory loss on employment statistics

"Mr. Speaker, I do not comment on employment numbers before the numbers are announced in the morning on the Friday when asked."

- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, House of Commons Question Period, May 11, 2009

The Facts:

From Reuters news service, on February 5, 2009:

"We are going to get some job numbers tomorrow that are going to be very regrettable. So is the United States," Flaherty told reporters. "This is going to be a difficult year for Canadians. There is going to be significant job loss."

In the April 8, 2009, online edition of globeandmail.com:

"Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is raising eyebrows in the bond market again with yet another prediction for job numbers, which are scheduled to be released Thursday. Apparently they aren't likely to be encouraging. All this prognosticating about economic numbers has people wondering whether the minister is getting an early look at Statistics Canada releases and speaking out of school, especially given the fact that the minister, unlike most economists, has been right more often than not (saved by a small sample size, no doubt). The question is important because Mr. Flaherty is moving bond markets with his words."

In the April 9, 2009, edition of the National Post:

"Canada's March job losses will not be encouraging, Jim Flaherty, the Finance Minister, said yesterday in his now habitual commentary on the closely watched employment report on the eve of its release to the public. 'I expect tomorrow's numbers to be not encouraging. When we lose jobs, it takes a long time to turn that around.'"

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