OTTAWA—Connie Wright has a good job as a Toronto aerospace worker, seniority and a house, but can’t help worrying that one economic bump could upset it all. “I don’t feel secure … even with a good-paying job, I’ve had my struggles,” Wright said. “Yes, the economy is holding its own right now, but people are scared.”For 33 years, Wright has worked at the Downsview plant that produces the Dash 8 aircraft, commuting more than an hour each way from her home north of Toronto. She enjoys the work, feeling a sense of pride every time she sees one of the planes fly overhead. “They are just beautiful. It’s a piece of art,” she said.Yet she harbours an unease about her economic future. While the federal Liberals tout the benefits of new trade deals with the United States, the European Union and Pacific Rim nations, others see a potential downside to liberalized trade, making it easier for companies to move manufacturing out of Canada to cheaper jurisdictions.Trade tensions with the U.S. over negotiations for a new NAFTA and steel and aluminum tariffs, just lifted, have also stirred uncertainty that is felt among workers. “How many paycheques are we away from being in the same situation as tens of thousands of other workers in this province?” said Wright, who describes herself as an NDP supporter.Those are jobs that have disappeared due to outsourcing, she said. In other cases, people have to juggle two or three minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet, Wright said. She’s not alone in her concerns and federal politicians know it. Such economic jitters introduce a wild card into the coming election. It’s a potentially dangerous factor for the governing Liberals and represents an opportunity for the opposition parties, one they are already trying to leverage to their advantage.This even though Canada’s economy has been performing well, at least until a slowdown in the final quart ...
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