OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is warning that Europe is running out of time to fix its debt problems, but his government has prepared "contingency plans" just in case Canada is forced to contend with a second global recession.
The frank assessment came in an interview Harper gave CBC's The National while attending the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations Tuesday in London.
At one point during the interview, the prime minister admitted that not only is he worried about Europe's financial future, he has been for some time.
"I am concerned," he said. "Even since mid-'08, I have been constantly worried."
At times, he strikes an almost exasperated tone as he discusses the failure of European leaders to deal once and for all with their on-again, off-again financial crisis.
