Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of Canada’s Common Sense Conservatives, announced his three demands to fix the budget and bring Canadians the relief they desperately need:
“Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost. His government has doubled rent, mortgage payments and down payments. His record deficits have driven interest rates sky-high. Food banks received a record two million visits in a single month last year, with a million additional people expected in 2024.
“While life has gotten worse for Canadians, Trudeau is spending more than ever before. This year, Canada will spend $46.5 billion to service Trudeau’s debt. This is more than the federal health transfer.
“Both the Bank of Canada and former Liberal Finance Minister, John Manley, told Trudeau that he was pressing on the inflationary gas pedal with his spending that ballooned interest rates. But Trudeau didn’t listen. As a result, the Bank of Canada went on the most aggressive interest rate hike campaign in its history. As the millions of Canadians renewing their mortgages know, Trudeau just isn’t worth the cost.
“Struggling families can’t afford higher taxes and more inflationary spending that drives up the cost of everything and keeps interest rates high. That is why Common Sense Conservatives sent a letter to Justin Trudeau with three demands to fix the budget:
- Axe the tax on farmers and food by immediately passing Bill C-234 in its original form.
- Build the homes, not bureaucracy, by requiring cities permit 15% more home building each year as a condition for receiving federal infrastructure money.
- Cap the spending with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down interest rates and inflation. The government must find a dollar in savings for every new dollar of spending.
“Common Sense Conservatives will not agree to support the budget unless it axes the Trudeau tax on food, builds homes, not bureaucracy and caps the spending.”