What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

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Taxation

A bill to remove the GST from used car sales. During discussion, the Conservatives advocated for the bill as inflation relief while the Liberals pointed to other measures they've taken instead, like removing GST for some first-time homebuyers and pausing the federal excise tax on gasoline over the summer. The debate devolved into partisan finger-pointing over which party has the better record on affordability.

Official Hansard ↗

Hon. Wayne Long

Liberal
“We've already done so much to make life more affordable. I could list things all day. Your used car idea doesn't matter. We'll just keep spending money and never admit our inflation caused any problems.”
Our translation 65% shorter

Hon. Wayne Long

Liberal
“I've run a business. You're just complaining and blaming people instead of fixing things. Our Prime Minister is finding solutions and building trade relationships. We're making Canada strong while you just talk.”
Our translation 67% shorter

Hon. Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Maybe if I talk about other things no one will notice I didn't answer the question about used cars.”
Our translation 75% shorter

Hon. Kody Blois

Liberal
“You want to remove GST from used cars. That's a real proposal to help Canadians. But Conservatives didn't help when we made many expensive programs before. Why do you vote against our big spending? Now you finally talk about helping Canadians afford things. That's good. Talk more about affordability. But you should vote for our big spending programs too.”
Our translation 60% shorter