Pierre Poilievre

“The Prime Minister is signing useless agreements abroad instead of helping Canadians get food or housing. Food bank visits are up 9 percent. He needs to come back and make food affordable.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is once again signing meaningless declarations that will not feed any Canadian and that will not house any young family that wants a home. However, he did not say a single word about a report from Food Banks Canada that says Canadians are going hungry and that there has been a 9% increase in food bank visits. Why will he not come back here and deliver affordable food for Canadians?”

“The Prime Minister is out of the country again, signing big declarations that mean nothing.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is out of the country again. He is signing big, meaningless declarations—”

“The Prime Minister promised to buy Canadian. Instead, he spent $7.8 billion more on American companies in his first year. Now he is replacing the Commissionaires, Canada's largest employer of veterans, with an American security firm. Why did he break his promise and choose an American company over Canadian veterans?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made big promises that he was going to buy Canadian. Then we learned that in his first year in office, he spent $7.8 billion more than the previous year on American companies, with Canadian tax dollars. This week, we learned that he cast aside the Commissionaires, the single largest employer of veterans in Canada, to favour an American security firm linked to Donald Trump and ICE. Why did the Prime Minister, after making his big promise, cast aside our veterans to favour an American firm at Canadians’ expense?”

“The Prime Minister promised to buy Canadian, but he bought billions more from the United States. Now he is replacing Canadian veterans with an American company to save only one percent. Why is he choosing an American company over our veterans?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made big promises that he was going to buy Canadian. However, in his first year in office, he increased U.S. purchases by $7.8 billion. This week, we learned that he cast aside the Commissionaires, the single largest employer of veterans in Canada, in favour of an American company, to save just 1%. That company is linked to ICE and Donald Trump. Why is the Prime Minister casting our veterans aside to favour an American company?”

“The Prime Minister and his government do not understand how hard life is for Canadians. Millions of people are running out of food and money, and have to choose between eating and paying rent. Why did the government vote yesterday against admitting that we are in an affordability crisis?”

“Mr. Speaker, this is more proof that the Liberal government and the Prime Minister are out of touch, as Canadians are out of food and out of money. Food Banks Canada’s CEO said this report “is the story of what happens when millions of people are out of options.” She also said, “In the past, most people in Canada could absorb a small financial setback... those days are over. Canada’s bleak new reality is that millions of people are making impossible trade-offs every day as they choose between food or rent”. How could the Liberal government and the Prime Minister vote yesterday against the basic recognition that we are in an affordability crisis?”

“Canadians cannot afford food. Food bank visits are up nine percent since the Prime Minister took office, with 2.35 million visits in a single month. He broke his promise to make food affordable.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hungry, literally. They cannot afford to feed themselves. Today, Food Banks Canada released a report revealing that the number of visits is up 9% since the Prime Minister was elected on the promise that he would make food affordable. There were 2.35 million visits in one single month, and food banks are literally running out of food. The Prime Minister said on his first day in office that he would be judged by the price at the grocery store, so what is the verdict according to the 2.35 million people lined up at food banks?”

“The Prime Minister will not admit that Canadians are facing an affordability crisis. Food bank use has more than doubled in seven years and is up another 9% this year. His plans have failed to make food affordable.”

“Mr. Speaker, crisis? What crisis? Yesterday, the Prime Minister voted against a motion that would have recognized the affordability crisis. He refuses to even acknowledge that there is a crisis, even though the number of people needing to visit food banks has more than doubled in the past seven years and is up another 9% this year. The Prime Minister promised that his grand programs and fine words would make life affordable, so where is the affordable food today?”

“Canadians cannot afford food. Food bank visits are up by 9 percent since the Prime Minister took office, with 2.35 million visits in one month. He promised we could judge him by grocery prices, so he needs to answer for this.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hungry, literally. They are hungry, yet putting food on the table is beyond their ability and their means. Food Banks Canada released a report showing that food bank visits have increased by 9% since this Prime Minister took office. There are 2.35 million visits in a single month. The Prime Minister promised that he would be judged by the price at the grocery store, so what is the verdict according to all the people lining up?”

In response to a question from Mario Simard

“The Liberal government has made so many rules and taxes that nothing can get built without public money. Energy projects can make money on their own. We do not want government subsidies. We want faster permits, lower taxes, and no public money handed to businesses.”

“Madam Speaker, I find it unfortunate that, after 11 years of Liberal government, after all the anti-development laws and taxes the Liberals have created, it takes tax dollars to build anything. Of course, pipelines and other oil and energy infrastructure are extremely profitable without any help from the government. The problem here in Canada is that there are so many obstacles put in place by the government that the state has to take over control from industry and fund the projects using tax dollars, which is a tragedy. That is the consequence of the Liberals’ anti-development policies. We do not want subsidies. We want a free market with speedy permitting, very low taxes and no corporate welfare for any industry.”

• Answered
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  Reply to a debate question

  Relevance 100 of 100

  Of this reply, 100% addressed the question or point raised.

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In response to a question from Kevin Lamoureux

“We oppose this government because they have made everything more expensive. The Prime Minister makes announcements about grocery prices, but they do not help Canadians buy food. We are fighting to make life affordable.”

“Mr. Speaker, we oppose them, because they have made everything more expensive. That is a very simple answer to a very foolish question. Now, as for the Prime Minister, the member is right. He has been Prime Minister for 500 days. He has, in the words of the member, commented about affordability for 500 days. Has he ever commented. He has had five different grocery price affordability announcements. If Canadians could put announcements on their dinner table or fill their grocery cart with comments, then every stomach would be full in Canada. We need food. We need affordability. That is what we are fighting for.”

• Little substance
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  Reply to a debate question

  Signal 41 of 100

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

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“I want the House to pass my motion. It says the Liberals have run the country for 11 years and life in Canada costs too much. Homes, gas, and food are far too expensive, and the Prime Minister must take responsibility for it.”

“moved: That the House officially recognize that: (a) the Liberals have been in power for 11 years; and (b) Canada is in an affordability crisis. He said: Madam Speaker, he just got here. Yesterday, in the House of Commons, I asked the Prime Minister why Canada has the highest number of people who believe they will never be able to buy a home. Of the 22 countries surveyed by Habitat for Humanity, why does Canada have the worst record when it comes to home ownership? The Prime Minister said it is not his fault because he just got here. He has been Prime Minister for 18 months, a year and a half. What is more, he was an economic adviser to the Liberal government for five years. He has been here and has been part of the government for six and a half years, yet he says he just got here. Apparently, young couples who cannot afford to buy a home and whose rent has doubled over the course of the Liberal reign should not be asking the Prime Minister any questions. It is not his fault; he just got here. Single mothers who now have to choose between paying the mortgage and buying groceries need to stop asking the poor Prime Minister questions, because he just got here. According to the president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada: Canada’s housing crisis has become an opportunity crisis. When people are sacrificing food, savings, and peace of mind to afford housing, they can never get ahead. They can’t build the futures they want for themselves and their children. These children need to stop asking the Prime Minister questions. He just got here. It is not his fault. It is going to take many years and plenty of lofty promises, while prices keep going up for everyone. Then there is the price of gas. I have already shown that the housing crisis has nothing to do with the global situation, because homes are built here, on Canadian soil, by Canadian workers, using Canadian materials, so it cannot be a global problem. The problem is here, in Canada, under the Liberal government. The same goes for diesel. Yes, there are wars going on in Iran, Russia and Ukraine, but that does not explain why the price of diesel and gasoline is about 10% to 15% higher here in Canada than in the United States and other countries. As of October 5, diesel costs about 26¢ more per litre than the U.S. average and 23¢ more than the world average. According to Statistics Canada, in August 2026, the price of gasoline was up 23% year over year, while prices for heating oil and other fuels were up 44%. This latter category refers to heating fuel, not an inflation rate for diesel. I will be sharing my time with the member for King—Vaughan. She will demonstrate that food affordability is worse than ever as we head into Thanksgiving. Since the Prime Minister took office last year, since he promised to be judged by the cost of a basket of groceries, we have seen a 10% increase in the cost of groceries and a Thanksgiving meal, but we are not supposed to blame him because he just got here. According to PwC, 69% of Canadians expect to cut back on their Christmas spending. Santa Claus, who happens to be Canadian, will have to spend less because, after a year and a half of this Prime Minister, the groceries he buys for himself and his wife are too expensive. Santa and Mrs. Claus are spending too much on groceries under this Prime Minister, which means fewer gifts for the children. According to the OECD, Canada has had the highest or second-highest food inflation in the G7 for 10 months straight. We cannot blame the rest of the world. We cannot simply scare people by spreading panic over foreign events when food prices here in Canada are far worse than in other countries. A new survey released today by Second Harvest found that about one in three of the food banks or shelters in its network are having to turn away people in need due to limited resources. We were told that food banks that do not have the resources to feed the hungry should stop asking the Prime Minister questions because he just got here. That is not what leadership and taking responsibility is about. A prime minister needs to keep his promises and take action to lower the cost of living. Our mission, as Conservatives, is to help people save money and to leave more money in their pockets for groceries and housing so that they can provide for their children and families. We have a plan to reduce government spending and lower the cost of living so that people can save money. Before we can solve a problem, we have to recognize that it exists. That is why, today, the Conservatives are asking the Prime Minister to acknowledge that Canada is in an affordability crisis that is affecting all Canadians. He can either vote in favour of this motion and thus recognize that we are in an affordability crisis after 18 months under his leadership or he can show that he is completely out of touch with what Canadians are dealing with. We, the Conservatives, will continue to fight to help people save money in Canada. That is our mission. We are going to restore the promise of Canada that anybody who works hard can aspire to a good life. The Prime Minister just got here. That is what he told us yesterday when I asked him why Habitat for Humanity found that more Canadians have given up on home ownership than the people in the 22 countries who were polled by it. In other words, the dream of home ownership is further out of reach in Canada than in any other country of the 22 nations surveyed. I asked him why. He said he knew it was terrible, but he just got here. Habitat for Humanity has said that Canada’s housing crisis has become an opportunity crisis. When people are sacrificing food, savings and peace of mind to afford housing, they can never get ahead. However, we must stop blaming the Prime Minister because he just got here. Housing is 100% a domestic sector that is not affected by tariffs, Trump or any other thing he wants to fearmonger over. I know he wants to talk about division and danger, but 100% of the land, 100% of the workers and 90% of the materials that go into homes are right here in Canada. It is Trump-proof, tariff-proof and a 100% homemade problem. That is why he could not use the foreign excuse he usually uses. Instead, he says that he just got here. It has been 18 months since he became the Prime Minister who was promising affordable homes. Most of his front bench cabinet have been here for 11 years, but they doubled housing costs and say that they just got here. Then there are the gasoline prices. Yes, the world price has gone up, but not as much as it has here in Canada. We are paying 10% a litre more than the U.S. We are paying 26% more per litre than the U.S. when it comes to diesel and 23¢ more than the world average. Only the Prime Minister’s beloved Europe is paying more for diesel than Canada. Stats Canada says that gasoline prices have increased 23% year over year. Much of that increase is being passed on in higher grocery prices, which brings me to Thanksgiving. I wish members a happy Thanksgiving. However, I am afraid that, just like me, they are going to have a very unpleasant trip down the grocery aisle when they look at the prices of serving a beautiful Thanksgiving meal to their family. The cost is up 10% in one year since the member became the Prime Minister, but again, he just got here. It has been a year since he looked Canadians in the eye on his first day on the job and told them to judge him by the prices at the grocery store. The judgment is in and Canadians are cutting back. In fact, one in three food banks is turning people away because it has run out of food. One in four shelters is turning people back out on to the cold streets. Those people who are homeless and hungry and those empty food banks have to stop asking the Prime Minister questions because he just got here after all. The Prime Minister is out of touch. Canadians are out of money. We are in this to save them money. That is why today we are calling on Parliament to recognize officially that Canada is in an affordability crisis. Will the government join us in that recognition or show that it is completely out of touch? It has to recognize a problem to fix a problem, and that fix is to save people money. Let us make Canada the most affordable country anywhere on earth.”

• Echo ×8

  A repeated line

  “Canada is officially in an affordability crisis.”

  Said 8 times by 7 members since October 8.

  Every time it was said →

“A three-cent drop in fuel prices is not enough when diesel costs have doubled. High fuel prices make food and basic goods cost more because trucks deliver everything. I want the Liberals to vote for our plan today to lower costs and save people money.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is good news? Three cents a litre is the good news he announces after prices are up 100% and have risen to the highest place anywhere in the world outside of the Prime Minister’s beloved Europe. It is not good news to have three cents off. We need to bring diesel prices down so that we can lower the cost of food, appliances and basic essentials. Everything that we have comes in a truck. Conservatives have a plan to lower the cost and repatriate the production. The Liberals can vote on it today. Will they vote to save Canadians money?”

• Personal attack
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  Opposition question in Question Period

  Respect 61 of 100

  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “the Prime Minister's beloved Europe”.

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