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.

Official Hansard ↗

Corey Hogan

Liberal
“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.”
Our translation 4% shorter

Hon. Kody Blois

Liberal
“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.”
Our translation 78% shorter

Yasir Naqvi

Liberal
“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.”
Our translation 74% shorter