Greece is facing a 35 per cent youth unemployment rate, the country kept afloat by a $150 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union last year.
Now Greece faces another deadline to show it can eventually get his fiscal house in order as he seeks another massive bailout.
The creditors want an aggressive sell-off of state assets and deeper cuts.
Now Greece will launch a program similar to South American programs the IMF imposed in the 90′s.
“We all know from the experiences of the last two or three years that we’re in a global economy,” said Harper as Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou stood by his side. “And serious economic problems in any part of the world, whether it’s through trade or financial institutions, have an ability to impact all of us.”
Stephen Harper backs Papandreou’s efforts, which have already included cuts to government pensions and benefits, laws to stop early retirement and hefty tax hikes.
“There is a lot to do, a big privatisation programme that we’ll implement in the next few weeks” Greek prime minister George Papandreou said at the end of a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper.
The Canadian prime minister expressed conviction that Greeks would finally manage to solve their problems and succeed in emerging from the crisis with a thriving economy, benefiting the eurozone and the global economy.
He said the Greek premier had briefed him on the measures already taken and planned by the Greek government, expressing his admiration for the determination showed by Papandreou in implementing the programme for exiting the crisis.
In a country where the left is taking all the heat, the least Stephen Harper can do is congratulate him for selling off his country’s companies and institutions, and invite the right to be a part of it.
