Jim Flaherty kicked off his Canada Club speech on Tuesday with a call to restore sanity to our political process:

Opposition politicians who talk down our economy for political gain at every opportunity.

To them I say: rise above petty politics.

However, 5 minutes later, he wasn’t so much rising above petty politics as belly flopping in:

But the opposition coalition – the Michael Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition – has been consistent in one thing, if only one thing.

From the beginning of the global economic crisis, they have put their own self-interest above Canadians.

[…]

Just five short years ago, Canada was led by a weak, dithering, and directionless government.

Support for Quebec sovereignty was on the rise.

And our ability to defend Canada’s sovereignty was on the decline.

Waste, mismanagement, and corruption were rampant on the inside.

And regular Canadians – the people who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules – were left on the outside.

[…]

Experts estimate the Michael Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois tax hikes would kill almost 400,000 jobs.

Coincidentally, that’s virtually the number of jobs Canada lost, but has since regained, during the recession.

Behind those 400,000 jobs are real Canadians, real families.

They deserve better than a Liberal leader who would risk their jobs, their livelihood.

I know he’s been abroad for a long time.

[…]

The coalition led by Mr. Ignatieff has its own agenda – power, power, power.

While their leader is untested and unready, their ideas are not.

They have been tested – and they have failed.

Bigger and bigger government.

Endless red tape.

Higher and higher taxes.

Any coalition that would give the NDP access to taxpayers’ wallets should strike fear in regular Canadians.

What’s more, any coalition that would give a veto on national policy to a party dedicated to the breakup of our country is unacceptable.