By Mary Simpson
Jobs minister Pierre Poilievre has come in for heavy criticism and ridicule for tweeting that Canada has gained 65,000 full time jobs in June citing a satirical twitter account while remaining silent on the net job loss of 6,400 in that month.
The MP for Nepean-Carleton’s tweet citing @stats_canada, a twitter account that parodies Statistics Canada, was deleted two hours after it was posted.
“Trust Pierre Poilievre to get his facts from a satirical site,” Ashley MacDonald of Calgary, AB tweeted. “But hey, when did facts ever stop the CPC.”
According Statistics Canada, the net gain of 65,000 jobs full time jobs in June was offset by a net loss of 71,000 part time jobs.
Meanwhile, the NDP blamed the Harper government’s failed economic policies for the loss of 26,300 private sector jobs and pointed out that the important summer months are providing no relief for the as 26,000 young people lost their jobs in June, and 39,300 more gave up on finding a job at all.
“Conservatives are standing by congratulating themselves as thousands more Canadians lose their jobs,” NDP Finance Critic and MP for Skeena – Bulkley Valley Nathan Cullen said. “Too many Canadian families struggle to make ends meet and household debt is rising to record levels. With the private sector now shedding more jobs and our economy shrinking, it is clearly time for a change.”
This is not the first time Poilievre has been embarrassed by his mistweets.
In April, the employment minister tweeted about how “hundreds of millions” of Canadian families were at the risk of not receiving tax benefits.
Statistics Canada estimates the country’s total population to be 35.7 million as of June 2015.
