Stephen Harper’s to-do list before Parliament breaks for summer – Macleans.ca

Conservatives swamped with multi-billion dollar decisions on energy, trade and defence

In any ranking of the files on which Stephen Harper would claim an edge over his opponents in the run-up to next year’s federal election, the top three might well be energy, trade and defence. Making Canada an “energy superpower” has always been the Prime Minister’s defining economic goal. Restoring the Tory brand advantage on free trade comes a close second. And staunch support for the military underpins his bid to bind together Conservative values and Canadian patriotism.

Yet in all three of these supposed strong suits, Harper now faces difficult choices when it comes to pushing past prolonged delays and making decisions with multi-billion-dollar consequences. The federal cabinet’s to-do list before Parliament breaks for the summer is dominated by the need to grapple with a controversial oil pipeline, a fighter jet purchase that long ago turned into a political fiasco, and perhaps a sweeping trade deal with Europe. In each case, making a bold move would advance the file, but also carry serious political risks.

Read more: http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/tories-face-a-backlog-of-multi-billion-dollar-decisions/