Pierre Poilievre
Battle River—Crowfoot, Alberta · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, for over a century and a half, Canadians took for granted that when people came here from around the world, they left their problems behind.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the constituents of Battle River—Crowfoot in communities like Amisk, Hardisty, Hughenden, Czar, Metiskow and Lougheed and the MDs of Wainwright, Provost and Flagstaff, who have all raised significant concerns about problems with cellphone coverage and data service, adding to already limited connectivity in…”
“Mr. Speaker, I will tell the member what we are for. We are for an affordable Canada, a Canada with growing paycheques and safer streets, which is the exact opposite of what the Prime Minister has delivered. This is his record: Count them; there have been five consecutive quarters of declining investment.”
“Mr. Speaker, do people know why the Prime Minister cannot stand to answer a question in the House of Commons? It is because he has been wrong about every single economic issue of the last decade. He was wrong to push bigger and broader carbon taxes. He was wrong to say that we should keep half our oil in the ground.”
“Mr. Speaker, no, we do not plan for a restful summer. We plan to fight all summer long against the Liberal recession, Liberal inflation, the rising Liberal cost of living and the rising Liberal crime crisis in our streets. Let us take, for example, investment. The Liberal Prime Minister promised he would increase it.”
“Mr. Speaker, at least the Liberals listened for once. I explained to them that houses are built by plumbers, electricians and carpenters, and the members stood up and said that the building trades build homes. We know who builds homes, but do we know who blocks homes? The Liberals block homes.”
The complete record
Every one of 972 lines we hold for Pierre Poilievre, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 20.
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot answer questions in the House of Commons because he has been wrong on every single major economic issue of our time, and the results are what Canadians are paying for now: more costs, more debt, more taxes and more of the same. In fact, the Prime Minister has given Canada the worst food inflation in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7, and the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Tomorrow, he intends to put it all on the national credit card. Trudeau had a $31-billion deficit left over for this year. Will the Prime Minister break through that limit and put that on the national credit card as well?”
“Mr. Speaker, we need to actually have wealth for a sovereign wealth fund. What the Liberal Prime Minister is proposing to do is use the credit card in order to put $25 billion into a Liberal slush fund. This is after the Liberal government doubled the debt and gave us the worst inflation in 40 years. The Prime Minister is spending more: more taxes, more costs, more of the same. Will he put it all on the nation's credit card again tomorrow?”
“Mr. Speaker, more debt, more costs, more taxes. The Prime Minister is just another Liberal. The Liberal government doubled the debt, doubled housing costs and doubled food bank lineups. The previous prime minister left behind an outrageous $31-billion deficit for this fiscal year. Since that time, the new Liberal Prime Minister has been spending at even higher rates and putting it on the national credit card. That means the bankers make more and Canadian workers and seniors keep less. Will the Prime Minister at least cap the deficit at Trudeau's $31 billion or will he break through that limit and put it on the credit card?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a sovereign wealth fund with no wealth. There is no wealth to put into it. It is really more of a debt fund. It is a credit card budget: more debt, more costs, more inflation, more taxes, more of the same. This Prime Minister is just another Liberal. He inherited a jaw-dropping $31‑billion deficit from Justin Trudeau, but since then, he has added $90 billion in inflationary spending. Tomorrow, will he reduce the deficit or will he put all that on the national credit card and drive up the cost of living even more?”
“Mr. Speaker, according to Le Journal de Montréal, while this Liberal Prime Minister continues to pay the nation's bills with a credit card, half of Quebeckers aged 50 and older are worried they will not have enough money for retirement. What is more, twice as many Quebeckers now have to go back to work during retirement just to make ends meet. After 10 years of inflationary deficits and taxes, the Prime Minister is increasing spending even further. Is he going to reduce these inflationary deficits, or is he going to charge it to seniors' credit cards?”
“Mr. Speaker, from imaginary conversations with the minister to illusions from a Prime Minister who hides under his desk rather than being accountable in the House of Commons, one could cut through the Liberal arrogance with a knife. What we cannot cut is the Liberal deficit. Amazingly, Justin Trudeau left behind a $40-billion deficit. We thought it could not get worse, but along came the current Liberal Prime Minister , and he nearly doubled it to $80 billion. Just like he caused inflation when he printed money in Great Britain, he is causing inflation now. Will the Prime Minister , who has been wrong about every single economic issue, learn from his mistakes and reverse the deficit?”
“Mr. Speaker, we now understand why the Liberal Prime Minister is fleeing from questions today, refusing to face accountability. If doubling the deficit to the worst in Canadian history outside COVID means being just another Liberal, he is just another Liberal. If giving Canadians the worst food price inflation in the G7 means being just another Liberal, he is just another Liberal. If doubling housing costs so an entire generation cannot afford homes means being just another Liberal, he is just another Liberal. If sending 2.2 million people to a food bank means being just another Liberal, he is just another Liberal. Is that not why the “just another Liberal” will not stand in the House—”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister hides under his desk instead of answering questions, because whether it is today when he was snarling at a female journalist for simply asking a question, or in the House of Commons where he hides from those same questions, he knows that as soon as he faces a tough question, it exposes the thinly veiled illusion and that the reality is that he is just another Liberal. He has doubled Justin Trudeau's deficit, the biggest deficit in Canadian history outside Covid, because of massive increases in spending. Will the Prime Minister cut back on the bureaucracy, the waste and the tax havens to bring down his out-of-control deficit for Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, with the Liberal Prime Minister , it is more cost, more crime and more corruption, more of the same. That is because, despite the illusions, he is just another Liberal. This is true with gas taxes. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Hon. Pierre Poilievre: Mr. Speaker, yes, they are applauding. The Prime Minister is just another Liberal. He is keeping two-thirds of the gas tax in place while Canadians get ripped off at the pump with the carbon tax, which he calls the clean fuel standard, and the GST at 15¢ a litre. Will the Prime Minister stop gouging Canadians at the pump and get rid of all taxes for all the year, or is he just another Liberal?”
“Mr. Speaker, the reason the Prime Minister hates answering real questions is that it breaks the illusion. Although he would have us believe otherwise, he doubled the deficit Justin Trudeau left us. It is unbelievable. Trudeau left behind a $40‑billion deficit. The deficit is now almost $80 billion. Will he cut back on the bureaucracy, the corporate welfare, the tax havens and other waste to bring down his out-of-control deficit?”
“Mr. Speaker, with this Liberal Prime Minister , it is more cost, more crime, more corruption, more of the same. Despite the illusions, he is just another Liberal. For example, he is keeping two-thirds of the gas tax in place while Canadians are getting ripped off at the pump. There is the new carbon tax, which he now calls the clean fuel standard, and there is the GST. Both cost 15¢ a litre. Will the Prime Minister stop taxing Canadians at the pumps, or is he just another Liberal?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister owes Canadians an explanation. They are living with the worst housing costs and the worst food costs in Canadian history. They are living with the worst food price inflation in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7 and the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7, breaking every single promise that the Prime Minister made. Why will he not have the courage to stand up and answer the question, admit that he was wrong about affordability, and admit that he will reverse course so Canadians can afford to eat?”
“Mr. Speaker, I goofed. I mixed up his title. That is all I am asking the Prime Minister to do. He looked Canadians in the eyes, Canadians who are downgrading their diets, who are skipping meals so that their kids do not have to, and said that they have never had it so good, that affordability is the best that it has been in a decade. Anybody who spent five minutes studying the economic facts would know that food bank lineups have doubled, rent has doubled and the cost of everything is going up precisely because of his inflationary Liberal policies. Will he have the courage to stand up, own up and admit that he goofed up?”
“Mr. Speaker, just last week he was telling us that he wanted to lecture us all like students. Now he will not even get out of his chair and answer for his own words. He was the one who said that affordability is better than it has been in a decade, during which time the number of people lined up at food banks, hard-working people, has doubled. Rent has doubled. Beef prices are up 70%, and the Prime Minister has the audacity to look at mothers who have to turn back items at the checkout of the grocery aisle and say they have never had it so good. Will the Prime Minister have the courage to look that woman in the eye— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, what a sad sight it is when the Prime Minister cannot even stand to defend his own comments when he claimed that life is more affordable than it has been in over a decade. He has been wrong on every major economic issue of our time. He was wrong to support the carbon tax, wrong to say that we should leave 50% of our oil and gas in the ground, wrong to oppose the pipeline to the Pacific, wrong about money printing, and now he is wrong to claim that Canadians are living a more affordable life than in a decade. Will he have the courage to stand up, admit he goofed up and apologize to Canadians for telling them they have never had it so good?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goofed up. He goofed up. He stood up and claimed that Canadians have never had it so good, claiming that affordability is the best that it has been in over a decade, during which time housing costs have doubled and food bank lineups have doubled. Canadians cannot afford to eat. Will he have the courage to stand up, admit that he goofed up and apologize to Canadians for the price he is making them pay?”
“Mr. Speaker, now the Prime Minister has gone in the witness protection program. He does not even show up to answer questions 70% of the time, and then he refuses to stand up for affordability. He made the comment that affordability was the best it has been in over a decade, this after the number of people lined up at food banks has doubled. The rent has doubled. The cost of food is up 40%. We have the worst food price inflation in 40 years, and the Prime Minister cannot even stand in his place and debate me and answer the question. Will he admit that he got it wrong on affordability, like everything else? Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, I gave the Prime Minister the chance to correct the record, and he refused to do so. On March 25, he made an inaccurate comment. He claimed that affordability was the best that it had been in over a decade. Rent has doubled in that decade. The cost of food is up 40%. The cost of beef is up 70%. The cost of mortgages is up well over 60%. Every Canadian knows that he got it wrong. He cannot possibly fix a problem if he does not know it exists. Will he stand up today, admit that he got it wrong and admit that life has never been more expensive for Canadians?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hoping they do stop because they cannot afford to pay one more penny. This Prime Minister is completely out of touch, and Canadians are completely out of money. He thinks it is more affordable because his company puts its money in tax havens. It is very affordable when someone does not have to pay any tax. Meanwhile, the single mothers who are having to put their grocery items back understand that he is wrong to say affordability is better than ever before. The seniors who cannot afford the doubling of rent under this Liberal government know he is wrong. Canadians know he is wrong. Will he stand up, admit that he goofed up and that he was wrong on affordability?”
“Mr. Speaker, he said “Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.” A decade ago, the average one-bedroom rent was $970. Today, it is $1,850. It has doubled. Incomes have not doubled. The young people who cannot afford that rent know that he is wrong. The seniors choosing between eating and heating know that he is wrong. The Canadians paying 70% more for beef know that he is wrong. Will he stop quoting international bankers, realize that Canadians have never paid more and admit he was wrong?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goofed. He stood on the floor of the House of Commons and claimed that it is now more affordable than at any time in a decade. The seniors who have to line up at food banks after those food bank lineups have doubled know he is wrong. The young people who are paying twice the rent they would have paid a decade ago know he is wrong. The single mother who is paying 40% more for groceries and has to turn back items at the grocery checkout knows he is wrong. Will he just stand up, admit that he is human, that he made a mistake, that he goofed up and that he got it wrong on affordability?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians should be able to fill their grocery carts without emptying their bank accounts, but yesterday we learned that, for the fourth month in a row, Canada had the highest food price inflation in the G7 under the Liberal Prime Minister . All the other G7 countries have the same tariffs, wars and other global factors as we do, but it is under the Prime Minister that Canadians are paying the most the fastest. He made a bizarre comment on March 25 when he said, “Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.” Families who are turning back items at the grocery checkout and young people who cannot afford a home know he is wrong. Will he admit that he was wrong?”
“Mr. Speaker, that is not what he said. He said that affordability was the best it had been in a decade. Even if he was talking about rent, that is not true either. In 2015, rent for a one-bedroom unit was $970. Now it is $1,850, so that is not even true. The Prime Minister cannot fix a problem if he does not understand it. Every Canadian paying more for rent, food and other things knows he was wrong. Will he just admit that he made a mistake?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadian families should be able to fill their grocery carts without emptying their wallets. However, it came out yesterday that in March, Canada had the worst food inflation for the fourth month in a row. All the other G7 countries are facing the same global factors, such as wars and tariffs, but here in Canada, under this Liberal Prime Minister , Canadians are seeing the fastest price increases. On March 25, the Prime Minister said that affordability was the best it had been in a decade. Does he still believe that to be true?”
“Mr. Speaker, what we have over there is inflation of Liberal arrogance. Right now, the Prime Minister wants to tell Canadians that they have never had it so good, when food prices are rising faster in Canada than in any other country in the G7, when Canadian households are the most indebted in the G7, when Canadian housing costs are the most elevated in the G7 and when, just today, RBC reported that we have the worst investment in the G7. The question again is this. Canadians cannot afford gas at the pump. Why not get rid of all the taxes for all the year?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister has learned all the wrong lessons. Not only did he cause the housing crisis in London and not only did he cause the worst inflation in the G7 when he was the bank governor over there, he advised Justin Trudeau to print money here, causing inflation. Since arriving in Canada, he has given us the worst food price inflation in the G7, the worst investment in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7 and the worst household debt in the G7. Why does the Prime Minister not learn his lesson from all the failed economic experiments that only benefit insiders with tax havens like him, and get rid of all the taxes on gas for all of the year?”
“Mr. Speaker, what he is not doing is increasing the deficit? It is only up by 100% since he took office. Does he even read his own budget, or does he want Canadians not to know what is inside? In fact, there is all the money printing that he does, because he is famous for causing inflation and has made a career out of it. Statistics Canada has made it clear that the gap between rich and poor is now greater than it has ever been, in a report published just this week. One of the biggest taxes on the poor is the gas tax. Instead of just removing a third of the tax for a third of the year, why not get rid of the entire Liberal tax on gas for the whole year?”
“Mr. Speaker, there are three Liberal taxes on gasoline. There is the excise tax and there is the new Liberal carbon tax they call the fuel standard, and then they charge the GST on those other two taxes. With Canada having the highest grocery price inflation in the G7 and paying 20% more at the pumps, we put pressure on the Prime Minister , and he has partially backed down, removing only one of those taxes and only for a third of the year. Why does the Prime Minister not follow our full plan to reduce gas prices by 25¢ a litre by getting rid of all the taxes for all the year?”
“Mr. Speaker, there are three Liberal taxes on gasoline. There is the excise tax and the new Liberal carbon tax that they call the fuel standard, and then they charge the GST on those other taxes. Because of Conservative pressure, the Prime Minister — Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, a year into this Liberal Prime Minister's mandate, the poor and the middle class are suffering. That is according to Statistics Canada, which published a report indicating that the gap between the rich and everyone else is greater than ever. This Prime Minister prints money, which causes inflation, and inflation makes billionaires richer and drives up the cost of living for everyone else. The gas tax is a tax on the poor. It is a tax on groceries, a tax on people in need. Why does the Prime Minister not want to get rid of all Liberal gas taxes so as to help the poorest people in Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, there are three federal and Liberal taxes on gasoline: the excise tax, the Liberal Prime Minister's new carbon tax that they call the clean fuel standard and the GST, which is charged on both of those. Despite skyrocketing prices and the rising cost of living, the Prime Minister only wants to suspend one of these taxes, and that is the result of pressure from the Conservatives. Why not follow the Conservative plan to save consumers 25¢ a litre by getting rid of all the Liberal taxes for the whole year?”
“We are the only ones who will unblock our resources and allow Canada to become a true energy powerhouse. Conservatives are the real deal, not an imitation.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Prime Minister and the Liberals would not have done anything were it not for the leadership of the Conservatives in fighting for affordability. It is true that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Our only concern is that the Prime Minister only goes halfway for only half the time and ultimately goes back to his old ways. The Prime Minister favours a high-tax, big-government costly agenda. He always reverts to that in the long run. Everything else is an illusion. As Conservatives, we are the only ones who will eliminate these taxes completely. We are the only ones who will eliminate the entire carbon tax for everyone, for real, for good and forever. We are the only ones who will eliminate the inflation tax by cutting back on the outrageous overspending.”
“Mr. Speaker, the estimate of seven cents a litre does not just come from the Parliamentary Budget Officer; it also comes from the government itself. According to a report released by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the government regulations that are increasing the price of gas by seven cents a litre this year will increase it by 17¢ a litre by 2030. This is a tax. When the government imposes a fee at the pump and forces people to pay it, that is a tax. By eliminating this tax, the government could lower the price at the pump by seven cents a litre. On top of that, we want to get rid of the GST, which would mean a further reduction of seven or eight cents a litre, depending on the day. Finally, we are proposing to eliminate the 10¢-a-litre excise tax on gasoline.”
“Mr. Speaker, a unilateral decision is called for because the federal government imposed these taxes unilaterally. The federal government can choose to keep these taxes or get rid of them. The member is wondering how the government will make up for the lost revenue. The answer is that the government is bringing in more revenue because oil companies' profits are going up in step with rising prices globally. The question is, will the government choose to spend that revenue or leave it in consumers' pockets? Conservatives want to put it in Canadian consumers' pockets.”
“I will continue to lead that fight in this House, across this country and in the next election, when we, as Conservatives, will work to restore the country that we all know and love.”
“We want this country to be affordable so that Canadians can fill their tanks, fill their grocery carts, fill their fridges and fill their stomachs without emptying their bank accounts. Now, the Liberals would ask Canadians to give up on this expectation, to lower their plans and to accept less. We do not accept less. Canadians might be discouraged right now because of the current political situation, but let us say this: Canadians should not give up. We will continue the fight for Canadians to have affordable homes, affordable food and affordable fuel. We will fight for Canadians to have safe streets. We will fight for Canadians to have powerful paycheques and strong jobs. We will fight for our soldiers and law enforcement, who keep us safe.”
“The promise is a phantom, another illusion. The same is true with taxes. The federal government collects 25¢ a litre on gas and diesel. Today, the Prime Minister announced he will offer only a fraction of that back to overtaxed customers. In other words, he will only be suspending a third of the federal taxes for a third of the year. That is not good enough. Canadians cannot afford to put gas in their tanks. We want all gas taxes eliminated for the rest of the year to save Canadian families $1,200. We will continue this fight. We know that the government has the money. It is getting $5 billion in extra revenues from the fact that the oil companies are making more profits and therefore paying more tax automatically and organically. That money should go back into the pockets of consumers, not into the coffers of government.”
“What about the famous pipeline to the Pacific, the great symbol of our energy sovereignty? After a year of the Liberal Prime Minister promising unprecedented speeds, that project has no route, no permit, no builder, no timeline to start and no end date to be completed. Further, the only company that could potentially build it, Enbridge, has said that it is impossible to fill the pipeline, because the taxes and anti-production laws that the government has kept in place mean there will not be enough oil to run through it. Finally, the Prime Minister has added another condition: that the Alberta people spend $20 billion on a carbon capture project that will lose money every year into eternity, a project that has never been done anywhere in the world and has no builder, no permit, no start date and no timeline.”
“No pipelines are approved, and no changes to the Criminal Code are approved. He has not replaced the carbon tax, but rather brought in a new carbon tax that, while currently lower, will rise higher and is much broader. He promised to cut red tape and remove barriers to building. He has not removed a single Trudeau-era anti-development law, but stacked new laws on top of old ones. He has not removed a single government agency; he has created 12 new ones. He said that we were facing an existential crisis that required immediate action at unimaginable speeds. After Parliament, in just five days, rushed through massive, unprecedented legal powers for him to get things approved, he has not used those powers to approve a single solitary project of any kind almost a year later: nothing. Speaking of projects, what about pipelines?”
“However, before I address that, let me just address that the Prime Minister has manufactured a costly majority that Canadians rejected in the last election. He did it through dirty backroom deals against the interests of the people, with the help of politicians who betrayed their voters and their citizens. The Liberals wanted a majority. Well, absolute power comes with absolute responsibility. They will actually have to get things done. They will have to do so without blaming others, and they will have to start now. So far, that has not been the case. Here are the results of the Prime Minister . He has doubled the deficit and given Canada the worst food inflation in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7, the only shrinking economy in the G7 and the worst housing costs in the G7.”
“Our country and its people are worth fighting for. We are going to keep fighting for people to have housing, food and affordable energy. We are going to keep fighting for their safety. We are going to keep fighting for resource sector workers and for our soldiers. We are going to keep up our efforts to advance the interests of ordinary Canadians. I am going to keep leading the charge here, in the House, across the country and in the next election, when Canadians will take back control. We are going to rebuild the country that we know and love, and make it affordable for everyone. That is our goal. (1240) [ English ] I have risen today to address our Conservative proposal to eliminate all federal gas taxes for the rest of the year, saving families roughly 25¢ a litre, $20 per fill-up, and $1,200 between now and Christmas.”
“Unfortunately, the Liberals have not yet managed to reverse the inflation that is costing Canadians so much. While it is true that the Government of Canada did not cause the increase in world prices, it is also true that prices are a lot higher in Canada than in the United States, and taxes are the reason for that discrepancy. The Liberals continue to pursue an inflationary policy. The Prime Minister has created a budget deficit of close to $75 billion, which is a lot more than the deficit left by Justin Trudeau. He is keeping all the anti-development laws in place and by so doing, he is preventing our economy from growing. The Liberals expect Canadians to give up, grow complacent and fade into the background so that they can exercise power without accountability. That is not going to happen.”
“Today, the Prime Minister announced that he will be returning only a fraction of that amount to consumers, who are already overtaxed. He announced that he will simply suspend a third of federal taxes for a third of a year. We proposed eliminating all federal gas taxes for the rest of the year. Our Conservative approach would have allowed Canadians to save a lot more and would have provided relief to consumers, who need to keep more money in their pockets. We said that the government could recover the lost revenue in a number of ways. For example, because the oil companies are posting higher profits as a result of higher prices, the government is collecting much more revenue, enough to cover the revenue lost as a result of eliminating the gas tax for the entire year.”
“The Prime Minister has imposed it through backroom deals. This now forces the Prime Minister to deliver results. He has been in power for a year now, and it is important to look at the results achieved so far. He has doubled the deficit, given Canada the worst food inflation in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. No pipelines have been approved, and no crime legislation has passed. He replaced the old carbon tax with a new one, but not everyone is suffering. Liberal insiders continue to profit from big contracts, the appreciation of their investments, and the list goes on. It is the same thing with the gas tax. The federal government gets 25¢ per litre for the gas tax.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to fight to eliminate the gas tax for the rest of the year so that every Canadian who drives will save 25¢ a litre, $20 per fill-up and $1,200 every year. This is part of our efforts as Conservatives to make life more affordable and put more money back in the pockets of hard-working people. We want to literally power our economy with more affordable gas and reverse the inflation we have seen over the past 10 years under the Liberals. Before I address that issue, I want to point out that, yesterday, the Prime Minister manufactured a costly majority that Canadians rejected in the last general election. He did it through backroom deals that run counter to the interests of the people, with the help of politicians who defied the choices of their own voters in the election. Canadians did not choose this majority.”
“It is all an illusion, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister not only supported the carbon tax that he advised Justin Trudeau to put in, but thought it should be higher and broader. When he got into power, he did not get rid of it; he renamed it. He called it the Clean Fuel Standard, 7¢ a litre this year rising to 17¢ on top of an industrial carbon tax that is driving up the costs of all the industrial production of our energy. That is one of the reasons that, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canadians pay the equivalent of 26¢ a litre more than the Americans pay. Will he stop ripping off Canadians at the pump and get rid of these Liberal taxes so Canadians can get moving?”
“Mr. Speaker, strategies and imaginary promises will not pay the bills or fill the tank. We all know that global oil prices have gone up, but that does not explain why in Canadian dollars and in litres, Americans pay $1.46 a litre at the pump while Canadians are paying $1.70. That is 26¢ higher per litre at the pump because of the Prime Minister 's anti-energy policies and his newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard. Will he get rid of these policies and get rid of that tax so Canadians can have some relief at the pumps?”
“Mr. Speaker, I guess those people who stash their cash in tax havens have never had it so good and so affordable. Tell that to the single mother who is walking down the grocery aisle. Let us talk about jobs. The Prime Minister compares us to the United States. When we do an apples-to-apples comparison of unemployment, it is 1.3% higher in Canada than it is in the U.S. In fact, Canada has the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst grocery inflation in the G7, the most unaffordable housing in the G7 and the worst household debt in the G7. He promised we would be first, so why is he the worst?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is all illusion. It is the same old Liberals, the same old failures. Look at the economy. The Prime Minister likes to blame world affairs for his failing economy. The G7 countries have the same world economy, yet he has delivered the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. We have had 100,000 lost jobs in the last two months alone. Why is it that, after the Prime Minister promised that he would be the first, he is the worst in the G7?”