Oral Questions
International Trade
“We know what's good for ranchers. Trust us.”
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Corey Hogan
Hogan reliably dodges direct questions about government spending and deficits, filling time with tangent-filled lists of Canada's strengths instead. He puts a positive marketing spin on any topic, even turning global turmoil into how Canada is handling it better than similarly struggling G7 countries. The few specifics he mentions are always to highlight government spending and programs, not cutbacks, and he challenges the opposition to say exactly what they'd cut, never volunteering any reductions himself.
Oral Questions
Youth
“I want to spend a lot of money on programs for young people. The deficit is lower but we should still spend a lot. I don't like that other parties want to cut spending.”
“Young people in Alberta are getting jobs. The government is doing a lot. The opposition should stop complaining and join us.”
Oral Questions
Finance
“I want to defend our government spending. We are investing in people! Albertans should be happy we signed an agreement with them. I don't know why the Conservatives aren't excited about this. The government is doing good things!”
“I'm changing the subject. I won't answer about the debt. I'll list nice-sounding programs instead.”
“You talk a lot about prices and deficits. But we have the best fiscal position. We are spending on programs. Why don't you say what you want to cut instead of talking about debt and inflation.”
“I'm filling time by listing unrelated things Canada is doing okay at. None of this actually answers why we doubled the deficit. I just hope people will feel good and ignore the problem.”
“Don't trust them. Look at all our deals and spending instead. Ignore their specifics because we don't want to answer that. I'll enthusiastically list tangential statistics instead so you think we're doing a good job. And look, a provincial agreement did stuff! So constructions costs must be the other guys' fault somehow, got it? Focus on our wins! Our fiscal position is great, they say.”
Oral Questions
International Trade
“I'm filling time by talking about how great things are instead of answering the question. I want help, but I'm not actually saying how we'll get a better trade deal.”
“The tariffs are lower than you said. We've made some changes to help the industry. We should keep doing that.”
Oral Questions
Finance
“Hey Albertans, you're worried about a lot right now, huh? But here's why you shouldn't worry so much: the rest of the world is an even bigger mess! Sure Canada's spending is going up, but we're still doing better than those other countries! So don't complain too much about our debt and deficit; I think we've earned a little spending spree to make the bad news go away. Now, if my colleague wants less spending, she'll have to tell me exactly what I shouldn't buy. I won't cut a single thing unless she has a specific list of cuts to propose first.”