A House of Commons debate ostensibly about Canada's economy and possible recession devolved into the usual partisan bickering, with the Conservatives criticizing Liberal policies and the Liberals defending their record. Members spent much of the time giving congratulatory speeches about a retiring MP, which had little to do with the actual topic at hand. The politicians mostly avoided substantive discussion of economic issues, preferring instead to score points against each other.
“Canada has a lot of good things going for it, but the Liberal government's policies are holding us back. They make a lot of announcements but don't follow through with action. We need the government to get serious and make real changes to boost our economy.”
“I'm talking about statistics. Our economy shrank three out of four quarters. Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. We have the worst household debt, housing costs, and second-highest unemployment in the G7. You deny this is happening. You aren't going to fix this problem.”
“The Prime Minister won't admit there's a problem. He gives big speeches but ignores what people are actually living through. It doesn't match what he promised. He's out of touch.”
“You're avoiding the real question. Canada is heading into a recession. Your policies caused this mess. Stop blaming everyone else and tell us what you'll do to fix it.”
“I'm asking you to spend more money on the school food program. I think this program is important and you should care more about it. $2.70 per day per child isn't enough. I want you to give the money directly to parents instead, so they can feed their own kids. That's what I think would work better.”
“I'm saying the economy is bad because of Liberal policies. I want to blame the Liberals and make our party look better. Canadians are struggling and it's the Liberals' fault. I want to paint a picture of suffering caused by the current government. Conservatives would do better, so vote for us.”
“That makes me angry. You're ignoring how much money is leaving Canada. Money going away is worse than money coming in. Liberals are detached from reality.”
“I'm going to talk about a problem that makes people sad. Many Canadians have trouble buying food. Food banks are very busy. The Liberals want to talk about big expensive ideas. But those ideas won't help real people. Canada is the worst in G7 for food affordability.”
“The Liberals have been in power for 11 years. The people visiting food banks have a hard life. Canadians have lots of debt. Housing costs a lot. Food costs a lot. Canada is not doing well compared to other G7 countries. I don't like that. I blame the Liberals.”
“I'm blaming rising food prices on the government's inflationary spending and on several food taxes. I want the Conservatives' motion to scrap those taxes to pass. I'm frustrated the Liberals voted it down and called the taxes imaginary. I want people focused on household expenses, not government PR.”
“I want to make the government look bad by listing problems like rising unemployment, bankruptcies, and household debt. I'm claiming the government ignored warning signs and made policy choices that caused these problems. I want the government to admit its mistakes and change course. I'm frustrated the government isn't taking these issues seriously.”
“The hon. member and I disagreed on many things. We had a lot of arguments. But we were always professional and respectful. I thanked him for his service. Being an MP is hard work. We have staff who help us. They don't get enough credit. They should be thanked every day. Some MPs continue to serve Canada even after they leave Parliament. The Prime Minister asks them to keep helping. They say yes. I think they could ask more former MPs to help too. I wish the hon. member well. We disagreed but I respect his service.”
“I want to talk about the economy. The Prime Minister knows about economics. But Canada is in a recession. The government says they have a plan that is working. But Canada is still in a recession. That's bad. The government's plan isn't working.”
