Stephen Harper was borderline euphoric when Statistics Canada declared Canada was only in a mini-recession, which was likely over even before the campaign began.
The Conservative leader, whose personal warmth usually ranges between sea ice and permafrost, was energetically warm and animated as he declared the red-inked charts were actually good news.
His ability to ignore five months of negative growth and cling to that last-minute June uptick was an impressive act of data cherrypicking, if not economic delusion.
But Harper undoubtedly senses July鈥檚 GDP numbers will be upbeat as parents spent their Conservative bribe, er, child tax credit, on a summer shopping blitz.
That means the recession declaration was probably the worst economic news of the campaign.
Still, the Conservative leader鈥檚 giddiness is misplaced.
The current economic picture actually hits the sweet spot for opposition forces.
It鈥檚 not a boom, allowing the ruling Conservatives to claim credit for exemplary fiscal management.
It鈥檚 not a deep bust, which could鈥檝e caused voters to rethink opposition experimentation in favor of proven governance in turbulent times.
This blink-and-you-missed-it recession could actually be a campaign doomsday scenario for the Conservatives.
A flat-lined economy for a government seeking a mandate beyond the tenth year in power is not a lapel knuckle-polishing accomplishment.
The opposition can legitimately point to anemic progress on green technology, hi-tech innovation and any hint of a manufacturing resurgence or resilience.
It鈥檚 a record that has even puzzled the global oracle of such things. The mighty Economist magazine has declared Canada
Now, anything can happen as we approach the halfway point of an election where the undecideds can still dictate one of three victory scenarios.
But Harper鈥檚 bid for re-election has enough strikes against it with a string of unbalanced budgets, lingering Senate scandals, anti-democratic behavior and now a major refugee-handling crisis.
To saddle that record with an economy in marginally stable condition should have the briefly-warmed Stephen Harper鈥檚 blood running cold again.
