There was initial fiscal stimulus in Canada from the federal and provincial levels of government and that was quite appropriate. In the initial period of that post-recession turnaround, we did start to make progress. We were creating jobs faster than the population was growing. During the two years roughly of that proactive stimulus, I think we genuinely were recovering.
Since late 2010, however, governments at the federal level and in many provinces have emphasized austerity rather than recovery, so the foot is definitely on the brake on the fiscal side. Is the monetary foot on the gas? To some extent it is, but remember the Bank of Canada increased their interest rates before other central banks did. It could be argued that in fact they did so prematurely.
Certainly the fiscal foot is firmly on the brake, and given our poor labour market recovery, our stagnant growth, and the lack of positive momentum from other sectors of the economy, exports, business investments, and soon I suspect the housing sector, that's where the importance of not having a fiscal foot on the brake becomes all the more apparent.