It’s official. The NB Liberal government is now the former Tory government when it comes to spin.
From Statistics Canada:
4,400 decline in employment in May
Biggest decline in the country month over month
Five straight months of well below average employment growth
From the government:
Figures released by Statistics Canada showed that the number of employed persons in New Brunswick increased on a year-over-year basis to 362,900, up by 2,100 compared to the same time last year
No mention of the monthly data but we do get this little jewel:
“We examine these figures on a year-over-year basis for the most accurate picture of New Brunswick’s labour force,” Keir said.
That’s fun. When the month over month stuff looked better, the Minister’s press release was all about the monthly data. Here’s another nugget of joy:
Employment growth in May was strongest in these top three areas on a year-over-year basis: professional, scientific and technical services; utilities; and public administration.
Employment growth in May was strongest….. (on a year-over-year basis). That is almost the equivalent of spin slight of hand. Employment growth in May (actually employment was down 4,400 jobs) but then you throw in that year over year thing. Fun stuff.
When are the politicians and their handlers going to realize that it is okay to either a)say nothing or b) tell the unvarnished truth. Why would it be so bad for the Minister to be quoted as saying “The 2007 numbers are trending downward and we are concerned. We were hoping that the Energy hub by now would have turned this numbers upward. The impact of the forestry sector may be dragging down….” Or whatever.
That would be a far more important contribution than that boilerplate that the media isn’t buying anyway these days.