Carol Anstey · TranslatePolitics.ca

Oral Questions

Finance

2026-05-27

“Prices are rising because of Liberal policies. Canadians have to pay more for gas, food, and rent. The Prime Minister keeps spending lots of money on things that don't work. More costs, more taxes, more debt. The Prime Minister is just wasting money. When will he stop?”

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-05-07

“The other party spends too much on consultants and privileged perks like private jets. My party would cut those. I want the Prime Minister to cut gas taxes too, so Canadians can afford more.”

“I want the government to stop wasting money on failed programs and start helping Canadians who are struggling with basic needs like food and heat. The current government is spending too much on things that don't work, like the gun grab program, while people are lining up at food banks and can't afford necessities. The Prime Minister should cut wasteful spending and lower gas taxes so Canadians can afford to live.”

Government Orders

Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act

2026-05-06

“I want to agree with you that the government is out of touch. People are struggling in my riding. Families have to choose between eating and heating their homes. Seniors can't afford medication. The government keeps saying things are great, but that's not what people are living. I want to look like I'm trying to help.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague and friend's excellent explanation of exactly the same thing that I hear time and again whenever I am in my riding. I go to the grocery store and I see how people are struggling. I have constituents consistently reaching out and talking to me about impossible decisions that they have to make between eating and heating their homes, and seniors who cannot afford their medication. In light of the fact that we hear, day in and day out, this constant “good news” and “great announcements”, at the end of the day, on the ground in the communities, people are struggling. This is what we are trying to address, as responsible members of Parliament, especially as it relates to rural and coastal communities across this country.

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“You're right, the Liberals cut funding for private colleges too. I know how that feels. We have good colleges in my riding. The government shouldn't push us around from the top down. That hurts our communities.”

“We need more resource jobs. Train them, sure. But it's pointless if they have to leave to find work.”

“This bill spends $59 billion on debt interest. It creates a sovereign wealth fund with only borrowed money. It does nothing to fix our problems. ngOnDestroy”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, to conclude my earlier speech on Bill C-30, the Liberals brag about $37 billion in spending, but they should walk into any grocery store in Long Range Mountains and ask families how they are managing. They do not want to hear about billions for international conferences. They want to know how they can afford to drive their kids to hockey or keep food on the table. Seniors on fixed incomes are falling behind. Entrepreneurs are wondering how to make payroll instead of how to grow. At a time when we should be bringing costs down, this bill proposes a sovereign wealth fund with no wealth behind it, only borrowed money. The cost of servicing the Liberal debt will reach $59 billion this year. That is more than the federal government transfers for health care, and it costs every Canadian family $3,400 just to cover the interest. Despite this unprecedented spending, our economic fundamentals are weakening. We face some of the worst indicators in the G7: high debt, unaffordable housing and weak productivity. Newfoundland and Labrador has the resource potential to be a global energy superpower, but we have been held back by a Liberal wall of regulatory bottlenecks and a punishing industrial carbon price. Conservatives believe Canada can do better. We believe in fiscal responsibility, lower taxes and unlocking our natural resources so that Canadians benefit from our country's wealth. We have enormous resource potential, but we need the government to get out of the way so Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can do what we have always done: work hard and provide for our families. Canadians are not asking for more Liberal empty announcements. They are asking for a government that understands the pressures they face and their realities. The people of Long Range Mountains are resilient. We have survived the hardest winters and the toughest seas, but we should not have to survive the Liberal government's costly credit card economic policies. Bill C-30 fails to provide relief or a sustainable path forward. Therefore, I cannot support this legislation.

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Oral Questions

Taxation

2026-05-05

“You didn't answer my question. Newfoundland and Labrador families need more than talking points. The math doesn't add up. Gas prices are high because our dollar is weak and you added more taxes. The economy is struggling. High energy and food costs are the Prime Minister's fault. Stop making excuses. Remove all gas taxes, unblock oil and gas production.”

“The Prime Minister is out of touch. Gas prices are too high because of Liberal government taxes. In the past, gas was cheaper under Conservative government. Get rid of all gas taxes so Canadians can afford to live.”

Government Orders

Report Stage

2026-05-04

“I want to criticize the Liberals for heckling my colleague's speech. They're saying majority rules, but I think that sends a bad message. The government should listen to us on this bill.”

“I want more voters to hear you repeat your best line again.”

Government Orders

Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act

2026-05-01

“I'm disappointed. Liberals spend and tax too much. Bill has no deregulation, no tax reform, no growth plan. People in my riding need relief, not more spending. Bill spends $37 billion we don't have. Our debt payments are huge. Families and businesses are struggling with high costs. The government should spend less, not more.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time. It is always an honour to rise in the House, and I rise today to speak to Bill C-30, on the spring economic update. Unfortunately, the legislation confirms what Canadians already feel in their daily lives: that after years of costly Liberal fiscal policy, life is becoming more expensive, less predictable and harder to manage. Before I dive into the details, I would like to set the stage by looking at how the nation is actually receiving this update. If we want to know how far the Liberal rhetoric is from the Canadian reality, we only have to look at the headlines from The Globe and Mail and the National Post this week: “Canada Strong is still Canada deep in debt”, the Liberals’ “upside-down [fiscal] world”, and “[Canada’s] 'New Government' has no interest in arresting our economic decline”. To summarize the content of these headlines, if someone has been wondering what meaning to attach to that irritating phrase the Liberals are so fond of, “Canada’s new government”, they should wonder no longer, as the spring economic update makes abundantly clear that it means nothing. There is no use in being disappointed; we should all be managing our own expectations. The new government is no more interested in arresting our economic decline than the old one was. It is clear the Liberals have no intention of changing their high-spending, high-taxing ways. Economists have sounded the alarm. Without aggressive measures to boost productivity, our country will continue to slide, yet in the bill, we see no commitment to deep deregulation, no effort at broad tax reform and no plan for growth. This is not progress. This is just more of the same, wrapped in a new coat of paint. As always, I want to speak specifically about how this impacts the wonderful people of Long Range Mountains. When they look at this, they do not see a plan for growth. They see a document written for a boardroom full of Liberal elites. It bears no resemblance to the reality of life in Newfoundland and Labrador. At a time when hard-working Canadians are looking for relief, this offers something very different. It offers a costly credit card approach that doubles down on spending, increases the deficit and risks driving inflation even higher. The Liberal Prime Minister has now doubled the deficit left by his predecessor, from $31 billion to $65 billion, and the consequences of that decision will be borne not by the government but by hard-working Canadians. The Liberals certainly do not consider the unique challenges that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador face, especially the challenges of the island portion of our province, where most of our fresh produce and everyday essentials must be shipped in. Building materials have to be brought across on the ferry. In Long Range Mountains, fuel is not a luxury but a lifeline. We do not have subways; we have vast highways with no cellphone service and unpredictable coastal weather conditions. The bill doubles down on fuel taxes that act as a geographic penalty on rural, remote and coastal Canadians. Across the country, families are already stretched thin. The rising cost of food, housing and basic necessities is forcing difficult choices at kitchen tables across the country. Seniors are being squeezed by fixed incomes that no longer go as far as they once did. Young Canadians are postponing major life decisions because the cost of home ownership feels out of reach. They are losing hope in their future in this country. When a father in Deer Lake fills up his truck to go to work, he is paying a premium for the Liberal government’s ideology. When a senior in Burgeo looks at the cost of home heating fuel, she is being squeezed by a Liberal plan that makes her life harder every single day. In that context, one would expect the legislation to show restraint and focus on affordability, but instead, it introduces $37 billion in new Liberal spending, on top of tens of billions already committed. It proposes the creation of a sovereign wealth fund that has no wealth behind it, relying instead on borrowed money. It would allocate billions more to international climate finance, millions for conferences and billions in subsidies that would do little to address the immediate pressures facing hard-working Canadians. This is not a targeted plan to help families. It is an expansion of government at a time when Canadians need the exact opposite. Liberals brag about $37 billion in spending, yet if we talk to any small business owner or walk into any grocery store and ask how they are managing to navigate in this environment, they do not want to hear about billions of dollars for international climate conferences. They want to know when prices are going to start to go down so they can manage to drive their kids to the activities they love and, at the same time, keep food on their tables. Seniors still living in their homes on a fixed income want to know when their money will once again be enough to live off. Entrepreneurs want to have confidence that they can grow their business and hire more staff instead of constantly facing more costs that create uncertainty and stress. They want to innovate and work on their business instead of constantly wondering how they are going to make payroll. They want to continue to contribute to their communities instead of having to cut back because of constantly higher costs. At a time when we should be focused on bringing costs down for hard-working Canadians, the bill proposes a sovereign wealth fund with no actual wealth behind it, only borrowed money. Meanwhile, the cost of servicing the national debt continues to climb. This year alone, debt interest payments will reach $59 billion, which is more than the federal government transfers to provinces for health care and more than it collects in GST revenue. This translates to roughly $3,400 per Canadian family just to cover the cost of Liberal borrowing. This is money that could otherwise be invested in Canadians' priorities, but instead it is consumed by the growing weight of Liberal debt. Even more concerning is that the government's own projections show slow economic growth and rising inflation. In other words, despite unprecedented levels of Liberal spending, the fundamentals of the economy are weakening. Canada now faces some of the most challenging economic indicators in the G7, including high household debt, unaffordable housing, weak productivity and declining investment. These are not short-term fluctuations. They reflect deeper structural issues that this bill fails to address. We hear a lot about team Canada, but there is a massive gap between Liberal rhetoric and the reality being felt by hard-working Canadians. We have young people in the trades who want to build their lives at home. We have resource potential that could make us a global energy superpower, but we are held back by a Liberal wall of regulatory bottlenecks. Whether it is the punishing industrial carbon price or red tape preventing us from developing our own resources, the Liberal government is standing in the way of Newfoundland and Labrador's economic prosperity. Conservatives—

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“Look at these numbers I found. Small businesses are closing. It's hard to open a business. The economic update does not make sense with these numbers.”

Oral Questions

Finance

2026-05-01

“Liberal spending is out of control. Canadians can't afford groceries because of it. The Prime Minister must stop spending and focus on making life affordable for families.”

“I want to blame high costs on the Liberals' spending. The budget proves they spend too much. A lot of people in Newfoundland and Labrador are struggling to afford food. I'm saying it's because the Prime Minister keeps borrowing money and driving prices up. How many more families need to go hungry before he stops?”

Statements by Members

Fuel Taxes

2026-04-27

“The other guy's relief plan is weak. I demand the government remove all fuel taxes all year. I want voters to credit my party for their savings.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are feeling the pressure every time they pull up to the pump, and they are not getting the relief that they were promised. The Prime Minister claims affordability is a priority, but his plan only scrapped a fraction of fuel taxes for a fraction of the year, leaving Canadians still paying almost 15% more than the Americans because of high taxes and a weak dollar. In Newfoundland and Labrador, families are already stretched thin, paying more at the pump, more for groceries and more to heat their homes. Conservatives are calling for real relief: the removal of federal gas and diesel taxes for the rest of the year, including the GST on fuel. That would mean up to 25¢ per litre in savings, about $20 every time a family fills up and over $1,200 this year. At a time when Statistics Canada reports the worst food inflation in the G7, Canadians should not have to choose between buying groceries and filling their tanks. Conservatives will keep fighting to lower costs and deliver the real results Canadians are still waiting for.

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