Economic action plan? Just watch him Canadian premiers had invited the prime minister to their summit on the economy this week in Halifax, an invitation Stephen Harper declined. Premier Darrell Dexter kept repeating they needed the PM here because the premiers "need to know what Canada's action plan is going to be going forward." When I hear that line, my reaction is immediate: Have they not been paying attention? Love it or hate it, Canada's economic action plan (not to be confused with "Canada's Economic Action Plan," the one of pork-barrel, election-style spending) is well-settled and well underway. It involves lower taxes, smaller government, freer trade and more reliance on personal responsibility. It is about playing to our economic strengths and, to the extent judged prudent and possible, getting government out of the way. This federal government has, among many other efforts, entered free trade talks with India, pursued negotiations to conclude a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe, and launched a full court press to get Canada into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It has made changes to Old Age Security and Employment Insurance to make the programs more sustainable and to send a clear message to individual Canadians that, where they can, they should contribute more to their own long-term security. It has reduced taxes and is beginning to slow the rate of growth in government, and may actually shrink it from the all-time high achieved under its watch. Changes are also underway to make it easier, within the