Harper's new campaign talking points are focussed on labelling Election 2011 as The Unnecessary Election. Standing on a stage in P.E.I. he's just said "this is not where I should be", blaming the "coalition" for dragging him from Ottawa, forcing him to endure a campaign, answer reporter's questions.

At least Harper won't be forced to talk to a real random Canadian, for anyone that gets close to him is pre-vetted and ordered to keep quiet unless spoken to directly, rather like the Canadian media are muzzled by Harper and his team.

The other end of Harper's plank is to paint himself as a great fiscal manager. This simply isn't true. Readers will recall that during the last "unnecessary election" -- the one in 2008 which Harper called, breaking his own fixed election date law in the process -- Harper claimed that if Canada were to be faced with a recession it'd already be happening. He promised he'd never engage in "deficit financing" of federal government operations. (YouTube) A few short weeks after the election he acknowledged that Canada was facing a recession of significant depths and would turn on the deficit spending spigot.

What many Canadians did not realize back in 2008 is that the Harper government had already started to push Canada deep into deficit spending before he'd even called the election. He lied to us all then. We all know how it turned out. What lies is he telling now?

Hopefully Canadians won't be fooled.

There is no "coalition". Stephen Harper is no great fiscal manager. There is no such thing as an unnecessary election. Going to the polls again is not something to fear or loathe but is an opportunity for Canadians to speak their mind again. But they need to be armed with facts, not vitriol from either side.

In an interview on CBC's Power & Politics show Mike Sullivan, Director of the U.S. Government Accountabilty Office (GAO), discussed costing estimates for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program which Canada is a contributing partner to. His office recently released the latest in a series of reports on the program (PDF). When asked by Evan Soloman for an estimate of where Canada's procurement costs for 65 of the F-35A version of the fighter ought to come in at per aircraft, Sullivan said:

Low 100 probably 110 - 115 million dollars procurement costs... 120 - 125 - 135 million with development costs rolled in. Mike Sullivan, Director of the U.S. Government Accountabilty Office

Earlier in the same segment (video) Laurie Hawn, former fighter pilot and current Conservative member of parliament for Edmonton Centre, continued to spin the position of the Harper government and Department of National Defence who claim the F-35A will cost Canada only $75 million U.S. per aircraft.

The Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) also recently issued a report on the same procurement program (PDF) citing its own estimate of approximately US $128 million.

U.S. Vice Admiral David Venlet, chief of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter program office, recently testified before the U.S. Congress that the latest cost estimates for the F35A were on the order of $127 million.

The U.S. GAO has an intimate handle on the JSF program and surely so does the Vice Admiral in charge of it. As one of the bit players in this development and procurement program, Canada has no ability to estimate costs independently of the program office itself.

So why does the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Defense continue to insist that costs will be about half of what the grown ups in the room say they'll be?

While I appreciate Mr. Hawn's service as a pilot in our nation's air force, something tells me he was a better pilot than accountant since he's still alive and kicking. But I wouldn't trust Hawn to do my taxes or run a major government program. Sadly, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, he actually has a role in running major government programs. Something ought to be done about that.

PS: Watch the segment with Hawn in it. He is rude, insulting, and as it turns out, is dead wrong on the question at hand. Canadians deserve better than this.