“The government spends and borrows too much. It should spend less so Canadians can keep more of their own money. Big spending means big interest. Canadians must pay that interest instead of buying food for their families. I want the government to stop making hard-working Canadians pay for its bad choices.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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Oral Questions
Finance
A debate about government spending and debt. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of reckless spending and driving up debt and interest rates. The Liberals defended their record, saying Canada has the best debt position in the G7 and that spending is necessary to support Canadians through difficult economic times.
“Hey Albertans, you're worried about a lot right now, huh? But here's why you shouldn't worry so much: the rest of the world is an even bigger mess! Sure Canada's spending is going up, but we're still doing better than those other countries! So don't complain too much about our debt and deficit; I think we've earned a little spending spree to make the bad news go away. Now, if my colleague wants less spending, she'll have to tell me exactly what I shouldn't buy. I won't cut a single thing unless she has a specific list of cuts to propose first.”
“Government should spend less and stop driving up everyone's costs. Canadians are paying the price. I want lower costs for everyone.”
“We're spending a lot of money. My excuse is the IMF thinks we're the least bad. I'll just talk about the military to look tough.”
“The government is spending too much. More spending and debt mean more inflation. More inflation will hurt families and seniors. The Prime Minister should stop spending and making the problem worse.”
“I want to say many kind things that sound good but have no specifics. Trust us. We are doing important things. It would be bad to question us.”