“I'm blaming the prime minister for a recession. I want the prime minister to propose a plan. I'm proposing my own plan.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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The Conservatives moved a motion criticizing the government's economic record. They claimed Canada has the only economy in recession in the G7, the worst household debt, the worst housing costs, and the second highest unemployment. But most of the debate consisted of MPs speechifying about their own qualifications, bragging about their ridings, sparring over procedure, and accusing each other of lacking substance. Very little time was spent actually discussing and debating the specific economic issues raised in the motion.
“Don't call me happy about this. I'm angry too. People are suffering. That's bad. I blame the current government.”
“I blame the other party for this whole recession. I don't care what they say, Canadians are suffering. But that Prime Minister, he's so out of touch. He thinks everything is fine! Well I don't. My job is to show how angry I am about all this.”
“Exactly, I agree with my friend! The Prime Minister's hiding and won't show his face to answer for this mess. Well, we've got some great ideas, so listen up Liberals! Copy these down too: Just cancel your whole carbon tax and all the anti-development laws that block new projects. And that Bill C-69? Tanker ban? Get rid of those too. Canada could be making so much money if the government would just get out of the way!”
“You Liberals just talk and talk about resources. We Conservatives are all about action!”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later. Talking about a recession is bad. The Prime Minister is wrong. Our opposition motion wants them to do more. Canada's debt is high because they spend too much. Business investment fell for many quarters. Liberals should listen to our ideas. They should pass our bills. Conservatives are right.”
“You're attacking me to distract from your own record. I was quoting the Prime Minister exactly. You're just ignoring our plan.”
“I'm attacking you for voting against our party's positions. You're a bad representative because you don't do what your voters want.”
“I'm piling on the attack against you. When [thing] was grounded, you said it was good. That's bad! It hurt Saskatchewan. The [tax] you support hurts the northern projects you should care about. Shame! You're not helping your voters. Only Conservatives help Saskatchewan.”
“I think provinces should decide their own energy policy. I believe the federal government should stop forcing provinces to take a certain path. In my province of Saskatchewan, we have natural gas and oil and I want the provincial government to have control over those resources. I want the federal government to back off and let each province decide its own energy future.”
“The member talked a lot but ignored the real hardship Canadians face. I want to talk about food banks instead. Food Banks Canada says 2.2 million Canadians visit food banks every month. Many are children. I want the member to respond to this evidence that people are struggling, not his own words.”
“Children are in danger. The government supports drug consumption sites near schools. Drug consumption sites are bad for children. Fentanyl use is common at these sites. I question whether you think exposing children to drug use is safe.”
“The economy is shrinking. It's not all America's fault. The government should stop using the U.S. as an excuse and actually fix our economy like Mexico did.”
“You mentioned the Harper government. It did a good thing with free trade. Free trade is good. My party did good things. We should do more of that.”
“Canada is in a recession. The economy is weak and people are struggling. The government spent too much money and now we have a lot of debt. We need to cut taxes and help Canadians keep more of their own money. The government should also support Canada's natural resources and free trade.”
“The Liberals aren't getting results. Their leader looks weak and says embarrassing things. People need real results.”
“Thank you for standing up for businesses in your riding. I think the government should help businesses by finding markets and reducing taxes. Giving out subsidies won't help. The government should help businesses have more money to invest in the future.”
“The Liberals say Canadians have never had it so good. But people are going to food banks. Crime is bad. Our economy is shrinking. Lots of Canadians don't have enough food. Do you think Canadians have it great, like the Liberals say?”
“I appreciate my friend's work. But the Liberals made big promises. The Prime Minister said he knew how to fix things. He hasn't delivered.”
“Canada is the only G7 country in recession. The government blames international events, but all G7 countries face the same events. Canada has the worst household debt and housing affordability in the G7. The government has no plan to reverse this. They had a balanced budget and approved pipelines in 2015, but they squandered it. The Prime Minister claimed to be the man for a crisis, but it was an illusion. The responsibility for this lies on the government's mismanagement.”