Tough Economic Times

This year, Justin Trudeau’s inflation crisis will cost every Canadian an extra $2000. Inflation is at its highest rate since 1983. Interest rates have jumped to their highest levels since 1998. Six in ten Canadians say they're already feeling the effects of these hikes, and almost half of Canadians are within $200 of insolvency. Over a quarter of Canadians are cutting back on essentials like food, housing, and utilities. Seventy-two percent of families with kids are worried about putting food on the table, and nearly half of Canadians are doing worse financially than they were last year.

Food costs alone are up 9.7% in the last year, the largest increase since 1981. With inflation driving the cost of groceries up, families are being forced to choose between putting food on the table, making rent, or paying the bills.

Gas prices are at record highs, well over $2.00 a litre in some parts of the country. This has made it more expensive for commuters who need to drive to work, for parents trying to get their kids to hockey practice, and for people just trying to get by. Under Justin Trudeau, Canada is the only G7 country to have raised taxes on gas during a global energy crisis, costing Canadians at least an extra 11 cents per litre! As countries around the world are cutting taxes on gasoline, the Liberals are moving in the opposite direction.

Out-of-touch Liberal policies continue to fan the flames of the inflation crisis. Their carbon tax has made it harder for farmers and truckers to connect Canadians with the essentials they need. And they plan on raising this tax again in April.

This is a full-blown affordability crisis, and it is entirely of Justin Trudeau’s making.

The Liberals and their NDP allies have spent the cupboards bare with their reckless fiscal agenda. Justin Trudeau has spent more than every previous Canadian Prime Minister combined. This has caused tremendous inflationary pressures leaving every Canadian family worse off. After seven long years, Trudeau's legacy is nothing more than record-high inflation, skyrocketing housing costs, and an affordability crisis that has led to higher grocery and gas prices, all fueled by his out-of-control spending.

Conservatives have proposed common-sense solutions to help address the affordability crisis, and time and time again, the Liberals have voted against them. Conservatives proposed measures to remove the GST and carbon tax from fuel to give Canadians a break at the pumps. We also suggested ways that the government could increase the housing supply for those struggling to find a home. As food prices rise, we worked to bring costs down for farmers, who are facing shortages of the tools they need to keep prices low. Conservatives have been calling on the government to address supply chain challenges quickly, including by ending the carbon tax on farmers so that food is more affordable. Unfortunately, the Liberals voted against every one of these policies.

We will continue to fight for common-sense solutions that provide relief to Canadians, leave more money in their pockets, and protect the value of what they earn.

This is Justin Trudeau’s mess, and he has done nothing to clean it up. Conservatives are laser-focused on standing up for those who are suffering the most from the rising cost-of-living. Canadians can count on us to continue to offer reasonable solutions to help fight the affordability crisis.