“The government is cutting seven million dollars for research that helps protect consumers from high living costs. It still gives billions to oil companies. I want to know why the minister protects big business instead of Canadians.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals announced on Thursday that they were eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative. That is a fund that supported research into things like the cost of living and competition. It would have gotten $7 million between 2025 and 2027. That is peanuts to a government that is handing out tens of billions of dollars to oil companies. However, losing that funding reduces our organizations’ ability to work. When it comes to consumer protection, why is the minister standing up for big business instead of Canadians?”

“The government is cutting consumer protection programs to save a tiny amount of money. This helps big companies instead of people, because no one will investigate grocery prices, phone contracts, or airline fees. I want the minister to explain why.”

“Mr. Speaker, I hope that is the case, because eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative will have no impact on public finances. It is a drop in the bucket. Then again, eliminating it is quite a gift for large corporations that cut corners. The Liberals are preventing consumer protection agencies from investigating things like shrinkflation in grocery stores, contracts in the telecommunications and banking sectors, airline pricing practices, and the list goes on. They are literally helping large companies protect themselves from consumers who are well informed about their rights. How can the minister justify that?”