Harper on Canada's Economy: It's All Good

At about the two-thirds mark of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stump speeches—after he lambastes rivals for forcing unnecessary elections and rolls out a list of initiatives that have been put at risk by the opposition—Canada's Conservative leader breaks into poetry. "A sea of troubles is lapping at our shores," Harper tells his audiences, borrowing a phrase from Hamlet's famous soliloquy to warn Canadians of the sufferings they may face should his party lose power in the May 2 vote. "Disaster in the Pacific, chaos in the Middle East, debt problems in Europe, and, of course, some very serious challenges just south of our border. Canada is the closest thing the world has to an island of security and stability."

Though that last bit's not Shakespeare, it works for Harper. The 51-year-old is seeking reelection by running on the country's stellar economic record: the fastest recovery with the lowest budget deficits among the Group of Seven nations, and the first to recoup all jobs lost in the recession. Polls show the Conservatives are favorites.