“I want government to spend less money. Government spending makes prices go up. Many Canadians struggle to afford basic needs. I want the Prime Minister to stop borrowing money and spending it.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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Oral Questions
Finance
A debate on finance and the economy. The Conservatives criticized the Liberals for high spending, taxes, and deficits they argue have made life less affordable. The Liberals argued they've cut various taxes and made programs to help Canadians, and touted Canada's relatively strong fiscal position.
“The member said we raised taxes. But we cut many taxes! We cut the excise tax and carbon tax. We cut income tax and GST on new homes. We cut taxes for mineral exploration and businesses that invest in R&D. We cut taxes for tradespeople who travel and those investing in clean tech. We cut so many taxes!”
“Stop spending money we don't have on things we don't need. Admit you're just wrapping the same old waste in new packaging.”
“I'm running out the clock with a big list of tax cuts instead of letting the opposition criticize our budget.”
“I want to blame high costs on the Liberals' spending. The budget proves they spend too much. A lot of people in Newfoundland and Labrador are struggling to afford food. I'm saying it's because the Prime Minister keeps borrowing money and driving prices up. How many more families need to go hungry before he stops?”
“The Conservatives vote against every program we propose. They don't want to help Canadians. They voted against giving money to families who need it. If the Conservatives really cared about making life more affordable, they would vote for our spending.”
“Liberal spending is out of control. Canadians can't afford groceries because of it. The Prime Minister must stop spending and focus on making life affordable for families.”
“We threw a bunch of numbers at Canadians. Look at all these numbers. Families need a growing economy, so they should thank us for spending so much.”
“The Prime Minister spends too much. High spending means high debt. More debt every year. For five more years. That's bad for Canadians. Bad for Quebec. Canadians struggle to buy groceries. Struggle to make ends meet. I want the Prime Minister to spend less. Get his spending under control. Let Quebeckers keep more of their pay.”
“Canada is best in the G7. We spend a lot of money. Our spending helps people. We have plans to spend more. I want to tell you all the ways we spend money. Tax cuts. Dental plan. Food assistance. Training program. Wealth fund. That's good for Canadians.”
“Families in my riding are having a hard time affording food. Meanwhile the government keeps spending more of their money. The government should spend less so families can keep more of what they earn.”
“I am going to ignore the point about families struggling and the government spending too much. Instead I will talk about how the Prime Minister is taking action. I am going to mention a program that spends money to give children lunch. This is good because it shows we care.”