Conservative Party and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre announced today that his party will continue blocking the Justin Trudeau-led federal government budget until their demands are met.
The Tories are asking for “a plan to balance the budget to bring down inflation and interest rates” and also say there should be “no more carbon tax hikes”.
“Before tabling the budget, Chrystia Freeland admitted that Liberal deficits were causing inflation. She said that the goal of her budget was ‘not to pour fuel on the fire of inflation.’ She told us that she would ‘exercise fiscal restraint.’ But then the Liberals dumped $60 billion of additional fuel on the fire—$4200 in extra costs for every family in Canada,” according to a Conservative Party statement sent to CanIndia News.
The Tories claim to be using every available tool to block the budget which includes “tabling 904 amendments” to Trudeau’s fiscal plan and forcing the Liberals to use time allocation at the second reading of the bill in the House of Commons because every Conservative MP wanted to speak.
“John Manley, the former Liberal finance minister, said that Trudeau’s fiscal policy is making it harder to contain inflation. Manley described it as ‘a bit like driving your car with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake generally, especially if there’s slushy conditions under your tires.’ Enough. We must get inflation under control,” the Tory statement continued.
“On top of this, Trudeau’s second carbon tax, which, together with his first carbon tax, will hike the price at the pump by 61 cents per litre and drive up the cost of everything. Canadians can’t afford this,” the statement added.
“Only once our demands are met will we, reluctantly, let the budget go to vote,” the Tories said.
When asked what he felt about this move, Trudeau responded by telling a CBC reporter that Poilievre has no plan for the economy and proposes nothing but cuts.
Trudeau says that by blocking the budget, the leader of the Opposition is blocking tax credits for trades people for new tools, anti-flipping measures which offer protection from speculation and the enhancement of the Canada Workers Benefit which will put more money in the pockets of hardworking Canadians who are struggling to get by.
According to the prime minister these are the real life consequences of the political and partisan games that the Leader of the Official Opposition is engaging in.
