Ottawa (Ontario) – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement in reaction to Budget 2023:
“After eight years, Justin Trudeau’s inflationary taxes and spending have created a cost-of-living crisis that is hurting the hard-working people of this country. Conservatives demanded that this budget must work for the people who work. We had three clear demands:
- Bring home lower prices by ending the inflationary deficits and spending.
- Bring home powerful paycheques with lower taxes and scrap the carbon tax so hard work pays off again.
- Bring homes people can afford by removing government gatekeepers to free up land and speed up building permits.
“This budget meets none of these demands. It is a $43 billion bonanza of new inflation, debt and taxes. All that Justin Trudeau has delivered for Canadians is more debt, more inflation and more costs on the backs of the hard-working and beleaguered people of this country.
“During last year’s budget, Minister Freeland said she was ‘absolutely determined that our debt-to-GDP ratio must continue to decline. Our deficits must continue to be reduced…This is our fiscal anchor. This is a line we shall not cross. It will ensure that our finances remain sustainable.’ Here we are. A year later, Justin Trudeau has crossed that red line.
“Trudeau’s war on work continues. Canadians are living in desperation, skipping meals, living in their parent’s basements, unable to drive to work, falling into depression, and even considering suicide because they cannot afford the pressure and the bills that this Prime Minister has imposed after eight long years. This budget makes all of those pressures, all of those pains, and all those costs even worse.
“Conservatives work for those who work. And that’s why we will vote against Justin Trudeau’s inflationary budget.”
