Luc Berthold

“Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, and major banks say our economy is getting worse. Canadians are poorer now. I want the Prime Minister to admit that we are in a recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, let us talk facts. Under this Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is reining in her growth forecasts. The RBC, TD Bank and BMO have downgraded their outlooks. Canadians look on as their standard of living erodes. The Prime Minister, however, still refuses to utter the word “recession”. I am therefore going to ask him this simple question again: Are we in a recession or are Canadians only theoretically poorer than before, after a decade of Liberal rule?”

• Echo ×104

  A repeated line

  “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

  Said 104 times by 61 members since May 29.

  Every time it was said →

“The Liberals should not celebrate handing out money for groceries. It proves our economy is in trouble. They need to admit we are in a recession and fix it.”

“Madam Speaker, how can anyone take such delight in people’s poverty, as we have just seen? When a government is forced to hand out money so that people can eat, something is not right. We just heard the entire Liberal Party applaud a measure to help people pay their grocery bills every month. This is unacceptable. Is this really where Canada has ended up? We applaud when the government hands out money because people cannot afford groceries? If the Liberals recognized that we are in a recession, they would do something about it.”

“The Prime Minister has put Canada into a recession, and we are the only G20 country in one. Families are struggling to afford groceries while the government gives bonuses to its friends. I want to know if the Prime Minister admits this is a Liberal recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague said that we are not concerned about the cost of living. At least we are able to recognize the reality facing Canada, the reality facing Canadian families, the reality facing mothers who are struggling to pay their grocery bills at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the Liberals cannot even spell the word “recession”. They cannot even bring themselves to utter the word, yet Canada is the only G20 country that is currently in a recession. It does not seem to be hurting them, but it is hurting Canadian families and everyone. For the Liberals’ cronies, it means bonuses. It means $11 million for the Royal Canadian Mint. The Prime Minister plunged this country into a recession. Is it a Liberal recession or a technical recession?”

• Little substance
  ?

  Opposition question in Question Period

  Signal 36 of 100

  Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

  See full analysis →

“Canadian families are getting poorer because the government spends too much money. Food costs are up, and families spend more than they make on food and housing. The Prime Minister needs to stop reckless spending and help ordinary people.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians will soon realize that, just like the Liberals’ other announcements, these announcements are merely illusions. Nothing ever comes of any of their announcements. Canadian families are working harder than ever, so why are they getting poorer? The reason is because this government is spending taxpayer money like there is no tomorrow. Food inflation is 3.8%. Families are now spending over 100% of their income on food and housing. This Liberal Prime Minister is just another costly Liberal. Is he going to stop spending recklessly for his buddies’ benefit and start looking after ordinary people instead?”

• Personal attack
  ?

  Opposition question in Question Period

  Respect 76 of 100

  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “for his buddies' benefit”.

  See full analysis →
• Echo ×22

  A repeated line

  “The Prime Minister is just another Liberal.”

  Said 22 times by 14 members since April 23.

  Every time it was said →

“We will look at this question of privilege and may speak on it later.”

“Mr. Speaker, we will consider the question of privilege raised by my colleague, and we reserve the right to speak on the matter later.”

“Young people cannot afford food or housing. This is happening because the Prime Minister added a trillion dollars to the national debt. I want to know when he will stop spending so much money.”

“Mr. Speaker, when we say that it is all just an illusion, there is a glaring example of that. When we go and talk to young people in our ridings, we do not see that enthusiasm, because right now, young people are still lining up at food banks. Young people are still unable to find housing because they have no money; they cannot make ends meet. All of that is because this costly Prime Minister, who is just another Liberal, has chosen to increase the debt by another $1 trillion since he was elected. When will he stop spending money on the credit card?”

“Ministers must answer questions from the opposition. None of them answered our clear question.”

“Mr. Speaker, according to the customs and practices of the House, ministers are required to answer questions asked by opposition members. It seems that no minister chose to answer a clear question that—”

“The government is spending too much money and adding to the national debt. This makes food, housing, and gas cost more. I want the Prime Minister to stop spending so much.”

“Mr. Speaker, add another zero for the minister’s answer. When a student gets nothing but zeros, they fail. This Liberal government is racking up zeros, and Canadians are paying the price for its failure. What is the result? Grocery prices are skyrocketing, housing is unaffordable, and gas costs a fortune because the Liberal Prime Minister is racking up debt like there is no tomorrow. However, tomorrow it will be our children who will have to pay off this debt, along with the interest that comes with it. Will the Prime Minister, who is just another costly Liberal, finally put an end to his costly budgets funded by the national credit card?”

“I want to know what work the House will do tomorrow and next week. I also want the government to promise that question period will stay open to the public.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to ask this highly awaited question at the most exciting time of the week in the House of Commons, the time when the opposition asks the government what business will be done tomorrow and next week. Today, in question period, we heard a wide variety of opposition questions, but what we got in return were scripted answers from the Prime Minister’s Office, 41 scripted answers to be exact. That got me worried. Given the new circumstances in the House, where we have seen four committees go in camera, I worried for a moment that the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons would say that the House would proceed in camera for question period. However, everyone knows that we believe in transparency on this side of the House. For the sake of transparency, can the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons assure us that question period will not be held in camera tomorrow and next week, and will he tell us what issues we will be addressing during that time?”

• Little substance
  ?

  Opposition question in Question Period

  Signal 35 of 100

  Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

  See full analysis →

“The government has doubled the debt and is spending money on new programs that cause more inflation. Families cannot afford food. I want to know why the government is not helping Canadians afford to eat.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am not the one being negative, they are. They are twice as negative as the former Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau. They have twice as much debt. Who is being negative? They are; they are in the red. Meanwhile, they are giving us truly nonsensical answers. I am asking about families who cannot afford food, and they are still boasting about yet another program they have introduced. That program will cost even more and create even more inflation. I have nothing against sport. I have nothing against investing in sport. The problem is that if we want to be healthy, we need to eat first and foremost. Why do they not want Canadians to eat?”

“South Shore Furniture is closing after 86 years, and 126 people will lose their jobs. This happened because of U.S. tariffs and cheap imports from China and Vietnam. The Prime Minister failed to make a good trade deal, and tariffs have gotten worse. The government must take real action to protect Canadian businesses.”

“Mr. Speaker, “if we turn our backs on the Canadian wood products industry, we are sacrificing our industrial sovereignty and collective pride in favour of cheap imports”. That is a quote from Charles Laflamme, the general manager of South Shore Furniture, who sent a letter to the Liberal Minister of Finance in February. It was a cry for help from Mr. Laflamme, who was dealing with a shrinking U.S. market due to Trump’s tariffs, as well as dumping by China and Vietnam, which are currently selling off products at fire sale prices on the Canadian market. During the last federal election, the Liberal Prime Minister created the illusion that he was the best person to make a deal with the Trump administration. Here is where we stand one year later: Aluminum and steel tariffs have doubled, and new tariffs have been imposed on finished products and mould makers. South Shore Furniture announced on Monday that it will be shutting down after 86 years serving Sainte‑Croix, in Lotbinière. That means 126 people are going to lose their jobs. It is time for action, not illusions. It is time to get real results for our businesses and for Canadians.”

“Seniors cannot afford housing and food, and many families must use credit or savings to buy groceries. When will the Prime Minister stop this spending so seniors have enough to eat?”

“Mr. Speaker, I cannot get over how the Liberals put their arrogance on full display every time they answer questions. When we tell them about seniors who are struggling to pay for housing and food, they keep saying that everything is going well because of their grand announcements. The Liberal Prime Minister said he would be judged by the price of groceries, but what is the result? Apparently 35% of households are using their savings or credit to buy food. When will the Liberal Prime Minister put an end to his credit card budgets so that seniors can make ends meet and have enough to eat?”

“I want to know how the member plans to stop people from signing up dozens of candidates just to protest. That makes ballots too long and confusing. What is his solution?”

“Mr. Speaker, I am just trying to understand my colleague’s position on signing multiple nomination papers, because we saw that this was a major problem in some ridings. People are using the election to send a political message. That never used to happen because a $1,000 deposit was required, which was just as problematic for some people who could not afford to pay that amount to run for office. I know we will have the opportunity to discuss this in committee, but we absolutely must find a way to put an end to this election protest. How can this be solved? I missed part of my colleague’s speech, but what solutions does he propose to prevent us from ending up with ballots that are too long or ballots on which people have to write a candidate’s name, when we know that a certain percentage of people—”