“Canada is in a recession, and people are losing their jobs and homes. What does the Prime Minister have to say to them?”

“Mr. Speaker, my question for the Prime Minister is about the human cost of Canada being the only G20 country in the recession. Zahra from Toronto lost her administrative job at a real estate business. She cannot find a new job, and now has to sleep on a friend’s couch. What is the Prime Minister going to tell her, if he cares enough to stand up and answer? Is he going to tell her that she is just technically homeless and technically jobless?”

“The Prime Minister caused a recession that made people lose their jobs and homes. I want him to stop joking about their suffering and answer for it.”

“Mr. Speaker, this is not a joke. This is a woman’s life. The Prime Minister has given us the only recession in the G20, and he stands up and starts joking about her state of affairs. She is sleeping on someone’s couch. Will the Prime Minister stop being so flippant about the suffering that he has caused in the lives of Canadians and tell Zahra whether her homelessness and joblessness are just a technicality?”

“Canada is the only country in the G7 and G20 in a recession, and people are losing their homes and savings. Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians if our recession is technical or real?”

“Mr. Speaker, the question is for the Prime Minister about the real human cost of Canada being the only country in the G7, and in the G20, that is in a recession. Brad from Ontario wrote me to say that his family hung on during the Trudeau years, but since the Liberal Prime Minister took over, he is at risk of losing everything. He sold his home and had to get rid of all of the savings he had accumulated for his retirement. Will the Prime Minister have the decency to stand up, look Brad in the eye and tell Brad if we are in a technical recession or a real recession?”

“Canada is the only G20 country heading into a recession, and I blame the government for it. High costs are hurting people. I want the Prime Minister to tell us if we are in a recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, when there is only one country in the G20 facing a recession, while all the other countries face the same wars and tariffs, then we know it is appropriate to blame the Liberal government. The member talks about glee. Jacqueline has no glee. She actually had to put her dog down because she cannot afford the veterinary bills along with the inflation in her food, her rent and her gas. If the Prime Minister actually cares about Jacqueline, will he stand up and answer the question? Are we in a recession or a technical recession? Which is it?”

“I want the Prime Minister to answer my question himself. A small business owner in Sarnia is worried about going bankrupt because high costs are hurting his business. Canada is in a recession, and I want the Prime Minister to tell this man what he plans to do.”

“Mr. Speaker, the question was for the Prime Minister. If he actually cared about the people who wrote these letters, he would stand up and answer the questions himself instead of having a member get up to condemn slogans and then list five of them in a row. Here is another letter, which is from Thomas in Sarnia. He runs a painting business, but is now stuck in a bind. The cost of his paints are too high to keep his prices low, and if his prices are too high, nobody can afford to hire him. He is worried he is going to lose his business. This is the human cost of being the only country in the G20 that is in a recession. Will the Prime Minister tell Thomas if this just a technical recession? Is he technically on the verge of bankruptcy?”

“The Prime Minister's policies made a few rich people wealthier while hurting everyday Canadians and pushing our economy into a recession. He needs to face the people who are struggling and explain himself.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is the same pattern with the Prime Minister every time. He gets a fancy title, and he turns it into an absolute disaster. A tiny group of insiders get fabulously rich making everyone else poor, and when it comes time to be accountable, he goes into hiding, not even able to respond to the Canadians who wrote letters about their economic desperation, with Canada being the only G20 country in recession. Nathan from Ontario lost his job and is not sure how he is going to cover expenses for his type 1 diabetes, as severance money is now running out. Will the Prime Minister have the decency and the courage to look Nathan in the eye and tell him—”

“Canada is in a recession and people are losing their jobs. The Prime Minister is not showing up to answer questions. I want the government to tell us if we are in a technical recession or a real recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, it has now been almost a week after Stats Canada reported that Canada had the only recession in the G20. The Prime Minister has been in hiding ever since. He has the worst attendance record in question period. While Canadians are losing their jobs, he will not even show up to do his job. I ask questions on behalf of Zahra, Jacqueline, Brad, Kevin, Nathan and countless others who do not know how they are going to pay their bills. Will the Liberals stand up for once, own up for once and tell us, are we in a technical recession or a real recession? Which is it?”