The debate in the House of Commons resumed this week for    Parliaments final leg before the next election, and the single    word that echoed louder than any other was economy.  
    Well, economy or one of its many offshoots: Fiscal, budget,    middle class, collapse. Oil.  
    Sure, the Liberals and NDP hammered the Conservatives about the    combat-mission-thats-not-a-combat mission    heartily enough on Monday. But with the federal election coming    up in October, if not sooner, the economy is a point of    inevitable debate.  
    There is the promise of a balanced budget, an oil-dependent    economy that falters as the resource dips to $50 per barrel,    and a delayed fiscal update.  
    And the question of whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper is    still the best person to man the sails is at the root of it    all. Political analyst Gerry Nicholls said the Conservatives    still think so, and if it is left up to them the economy will    be the focus of the election.  
    "If the Conservatives have their way, it will be, Nicholls    told Yahoo Canada News on Tuesday. The economy is    really Stephen Harper and the Conservative Partys trump card.    Rightly or wrongly, the default perception for a lot of voters    is that Harper and the Conservatives are more competent    economic managers than the Liberals or the NDP.  
    The Conservative Party of Canadas reputation relies heavily on    their past economic stewardship, but they face significant    questions about it now. The suddenly-plunging price of oil has    cast into doubt Harpers promise to release a balanced budget    later this year.  
    Related stories:  
    Mulcair unveils more platform planks: tax    relief for small biz, manufacturers  
    Canada's economy can weather low oil prices,    Oliver tells Commons  
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If not Harper, then who? Conservative economic brand could hold firm in the next election