Well, it looks like the Broadbent Institute is striking fear in the hearts of conservatives.

I'd say that's a job well done.

Unique course offered in partnership with leading Democratic firm

OTTAWA—As part of its commitment to supporting the development of a new generation of Canadian leaders, the Broadbent Institute has launched the Camp Progress Practicum, a new hands-on, intensive training and placement opportunity for Canadian campaigners, organizers and activists. The program is offered in collaboration with 270 Strategies, a firm founded by senior strategists from U.S. President Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

The Conservative Party recently launched the “We're Better off with Harper” campaign with the claim that “with over one million net new jobs created in the recovery, Canada's economy is on the right track – thanks to the strong leadership of Stephen Harper and Canada's Conservatives.” 

There have indeed been more than one million jobs created since mid-2009 when the recovery began. But the job market in Canada is still far weaker than was the case before the recession.

The Conservative Party recently launched the “We're better off with Harper” campaign with the claim that “with over one million net new jobs created in the recovery, Canada's economy is on the right track – thanks to the strong leadership of Stephen Harper and Canada's Conservatives.”

The number in that claim is carefully chosen, and taken in isolation is factually correct. In the five years of recovery from June 2009 to June 2014, total employment indeed rose by 1,091,400 jobs.

But if we do the count from June 2008, before the onset of the recession and the big job losses it caused, the increase in employment to date has been a more modest 753,000 jobs. And the national unemployment rate in June 2014 was, at 7.1%, still significantly higher than the average of 6.0% in 2007 and 6.1% in 2008.