OTTAWA 鈥� B.C.鈥檚 business community is being warned that the economy faces ruin if the NDP makes history by winning the October 19 federal election.
And they鈥檙e being urged to participate directly in an effort to prevent the province from helping to elect a 鈥渞isky鈥� new government, according to a letter provided exclusively Monday to The 91原创 Sun.
The letter, from Industry Minister James Moore and former senior Tory cabinet minister Stockwell Day, was sent to a number of business organizations and corporate figures.
It also comes as Prime Minister Stephen Harper tries to re-energize his campaign with the help of Lynton Crosby, the controversial Australian campaign guru whose hardball tactics have been credited with election victories by right-of-centre politicians in Australia and the United Kingdom.
鈥淭his election will be decided in B.C., and the stakes for our province could not be higher,鈥� declared Moore, who is not seeking reelection, and Day.
Both men are taking part in a province-wide speaking tour to reinforce their message.
鈥淲e urge you to join us, by engaging your members, colleagues, neighbours, and friends,鈥� stated the letter to one of the targeted groups, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, a non-union construction industry organization.
鈥淚f you or your organization would be interested in having one of us speak about the risks involved in this election, please let us know.鈥�
In a speech Monday in Kamloops, in a Conservative-held riding that polls suggest could go NDP, Harper echoed the same theme.
He cited B.C.鈥檚 experience with NDP governments from 1972-75 and 1991-2001.
鈥淓ach time has been an economic disaster for the province and for British Columbians,鈥� Harper said in a speech, calling the latter period a 鈥渄ecade of darkness鈥� with high spending and debt, an exodus of workers, and 鈥渂oondoggles like the fast ferries鈥� project.
The move to ramp up harsh warnings about the risks of a government change on Oct. 19 鈥� Harper made a similar, non-B.C.-related speech in Ontario Sunday 鈥� follow the latest in a series of rough weeks for the Conservatives.
After spending a good portion of the summer dealing with the Mike Duffy-Nigel Wright scandal, and then facing questions about Canada falling into recession, the government was hammered last week for its response to the Syrian refugee crisis.
As the week wound to a close, reports surfaced that Harper was unhappy with the campaign and brought in Crosby, the 鈥淲izard of Oz,鈥� to get him back on track.
University of Victoria political scientist Norman Ruff said Harper is clearly trying to change the channel, and hoping in B.C. that he can use the same fear-based formula for success that helped Christy Clark鈥檚 Liberals defeat Adrian Dix鈥檚 NDP in 2013.
Ruff said the gambit may 鈥渇irm up鈥� the support of the party鈥檚 core supporters, but questioned whether a message that resonated with many B.C. voters in the provincial election will work again in a national context.
鈥淚 think British Columbians live separate federal and provincial lives, so I suspect they won鈥檛 get as much traction as they expect.鈥�
Federal NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen also dismissed Harper鈥檚 tactic, noting that such an approach didn鈥檛 work against the NDP鈥檚 Rachel Notley in the recent Alberta election.
鈥淢aybe he鈥檚 worried鈥� about the NDP鈥檚 plan to fund a number of initiatives, from child care to infrastructure, while still balancing the budget, Cullen said.
But Cullen鈥檚 assurances don鈥檛 fly with Philip Hochstein, head of the construction industry association that was formed in 1975 by firms that complained they were denied contracts by an NDP government that favoured union-affiliated companies.
He said NDP rule from 1991-2001 led to a 鈥渃apital strike,鈥� and he warned that Mulcair won鈥檛 be able to run a middle-of-the-road government because of pressure from party activists from the labour and environmental movements.
鈥淐ertainly anybody that lived through (the 1990s) remembers the NDP and how terrible they were,鈥� Hochstein said.
鈥淚t was a lost decade for British Columbia.鈥�
