Canadians should be alarmed that the federal Liberal government has introduced a ‘credit card budget’ that will tack on a further $78 billion to our national debt, says the Official Leader of the Opposition.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre spoke to a Kelowna business audience on Thursday, Nov. 13, saying he hoped the Liberals, after 10 years of governing failure, would produce an affordable budget for an affordable future for Canadians under new Prime Minister Mark Carney.
But he said instead, the increasing debt will only further create a downturn in economic prosperity for a generation of young Canadians who will not enjoy the same lifestyle opportunities as their parents and grandparents before them.
“People can’t afford to live in Canada. We are being priced out of our own country by our own government,” he said.
Poilievre says the revenue generated from the GST and industrial carbon tax pays the interest on that debt.
“That is money going to lenders and bankers, and not to hire teachers and doctors,” he said.
Poilievre used the speaking opportunity to hammer away at the need for the federal government to get out of the way of business and investment growth in Canada.
“Instead, what the prime minister is doing to deal with out-of-control bureaucracy growth is to create yet more bureaucracy,” Poilievre said.
He describes Canada’s potential of being a dirt-cheap place to live as hampered by unnecessary taxes, regulatory controls and bureaucratic intervention.
He cites the example of it taking 18 years for a mine to be started up, 14 years for an LNG plant approval.
According to Poilievre, housing prices would fall by $200,000 if all the taxes, development permits and other house construction regulatory costs were eliminated.
“In Vancouver, 60 per cent of the cost for a new house is created from taxes, zoning, fees, permits…government needs to get out of the way so builders can build, buyers can buy and sellers can sell,” he said.
He also addressed the issue of Canada’s lack of productivity, saying that it is not a reflection on the quality of workers but rather the cost of doing business.
“It should he dirt cheap to live in Canada. We have the most dirt for people to live their lives on, we have the most dirt to build on, the second largest land mass of the G7 countries, the most dirt to dig up resources and to grow food…we should be the cheapest country in the world to build, to grow food, to produce energy.”
While Poilievre was in attack mode about the Liberal budget, he did not address the fallout within the Conservative caucus last week of one MP crossing the floor to join the Liberals and another announcing his retirement come next spring.
He acknowledged that while Conservatives will likely have little influence over government spending despite being a Liberal minority government, he and his MPs and supporters will continue to relay their message to voters of the need for change to improve Canada’s short and long-term economic future.
“We had 2.95 million more votes than in the previous election. We have to continue to make small gains and build on the big gains we’ve already made,” he said
“We need to focus on the costly expense of government…to prosecute the credit card budget agenda of the Liberals.”
Poilievre took questions from the luncheon moderator and the audience after his speech, which focused on the youth vote, deficit spending and property ownership rights.
“We won the youth vote in the last election and in the mock elections held by schools across the country, we finished first…which bodes well for the future,” he told the crowd.
“Young people today have made the most sacrifices of any generation post-WW II…they can barely keep their heads above water. They are faced with often having to work two jobs and still can’t afford to do anything…a home, a job and hope for the future is the Conservative message to our youth.”
He then claimed that the federal government has to stand up in the courts for fee simple property ownership rights.
“And the judges need to realize what massive damage eliminating private property ownership rights would mean to the economy and the future of Canada. The courts cannot undermine the basic rights of property holders.”
Poilievre also addressed the agriculture industry, saying, “We would carve out the agriculture industry in terms of access to temporary foreign workers, but otherwise that program would be eliminated as Canadian jobs should go to Canadians, our young people in particular.”