Tories Promise to Cut Consultant Spending, Liberals Say This Election ‘Most Consequential'
As advance polling entered the third day on April 20, the Conservatives pledged to eliminate the '
Speaking at a
'Ten billion dollars less for high-priced consultants means $10 billion less inflation means $10 billion more affordable life for Canadians,' the Tory leader told reporters.
The move is part of the broader plan to end the 'out-of-control inflationary spending' by the Liberal government in the past decade and to 'bring home affordable prices and food for all Canadians,' he said.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) reported in 2023 that
–
23, with the largest spendings in categories such as engineering and architectural services, business services, information services, health and welfare services, and management consulting.
Poilievre said 'overspending' by the Liberal government has driven up taxes as well as food and housing costs.
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'Inflation is what happens when governments spend money they don't have, so they just print the cash. More money bidding on a fixed supply of goods equals higher prices for everything,' he said.
Statistics Canada on April 15
Besides capping spending, Poilievre pledged he would get rid of the Impact Assessment Act, previously known as
'We will unleash our economy by removing anti-development laws, red tape, and destructive taxes to add a half a trillion dollars of extra economic growth over the next five years,' he said. His proposals will generate an extra $70 billion in tax revenue, 'without higher taxes, but instead using higher growth,' he added.
The amount, Poilievre said, was a number
Poilievre also took aim at the
'A fourth Liberal government would bring in a quarter trillion dollars of additional debt. That's inflationary debt that will drive up the cost of food, housing, and everything else you buy,' the Conservative leader said.
Carney's platform forecasts adding some $225 billion to the federal debt over the same four-year period. The Liberal leader had defended the proposal during his platform announcement, saying it is 'not a normal fall update, budget lockup.'
'We are in the middle of the biggest crisis of our lifetimes, and this is a plan that meets that moment in a way that is very prudent with people's hard-earned tax dollars, but bold in terms of where this country can go,' Carney said while at a campaign stop in Whitby, Ontario, on April 19.
Carney commented that the Liberal government had been 'spending too much' previously and promised he would bring down the growth of federal spending from 9 percent to 2 percent.
'Most Consequential'
On Sunday afternoon, April 20, Carney held a
In line with remarks made at previous campaign stops, the Liberal leader framed the upcoming election as a critical moment for Canada's future, repeating one of his key lines—that 'we're in a crisis' because Canada's 'old relationship [with the United States] is over,' due to the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
'This is the most consequential vote of our lifetimes,' Carney told supporters. 'We need a leader who can stand up to [Trump].'
At one point during the rally, Carney touted his achievements as prime minister, such as ending the federal
Carney's campaign on the same day issued a
A day earlier, speaking at a
Poilievre has a press conference scheduled on Monday morning, April 21.
'Price Gouging'
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Victoria, B.C., on Sunday, where he promised to put 'emergency price caps' on food essentials and to legislate protections against what his party views as 'unjustified markups on Canadian goods' that constitute 'price gouging.'
'If you're raising prices on Canadian goods when the producers haven't changed a thing—that's not inflation. That's gouging,' Singh said in a
Singh's plan also includes a mandatory 'Grocery Code of Conduct,' which his party said will 'hold big retailers accountable and ensure workers aren't penalized.'
The NDP will also impose a 'windfall tax on grocery profits,' among the changes that the party said will be included in the first federal budget after the election if the NDP is elected to form government.
Chandra Philip contributed to this report.
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