Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he’s willing to sit down with Prime Minister Mark Carney to develop federal policy and called on him to release a federal budget.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Francois Philippe-Champagne said the governing minority Liberals had no plan to release a federal budget anytime soon, despite it being over a year since the last one was tabled. Champagne said the next fiscal update would come in the form of a fall economic statement.
At a press conference outside of Parliament on Thursday, Poilievre began by highlighting the craftsmanship of stonemasons working on the long-running restoration of the Parliament building.
“That’s the kind of intricate, hard work that we have to do as parliamentarians to protect our economy, and that takes a plan,” Poilievre said, taking a jab at Carney’s campaign slogan about needing a plan over slogans.
“A plan to reverse the Liberal housing crisis, a plan to reverse the Liberal inflation crisis, a plan to reverse the Liberal jobs and economic growth crisis, a plan to stand up against American tariffs, and that plan always comes in the form of a budget.”
Poilievre said a budget “determines and informs” Canadians of the size of the debt, future interest rates, inflation, and the current government’s tax policies. This helps companies determine whether to hire or fire employees and whether policies will block major infrastructure projects.
Poilievre criticized Carney for the delay, mocking Carney’s campaign slogan, “a plan beats no plan.”
“We were very disappointed yesterday to hear that he has no budget plan for this year. This makes it the longest period without a budget since the 60s,” he said. “The first time there has not been a budget outside of COVID in over 20 years. Extremely unusual.”
He said the lack of a plan sends “a bad signal” to investors and ratings agencies, and to Canadians wondering if the government has something to hide.
“We’re here with solutions. I’m proposing, offering the Prime Minister to sit down with him and propose Conservative solutions that we hope that he will steal,” Poilievre said. “I want him to steal our best ideas, that includes cutting the bureaucracy, consultants, foreign aid and other wasteful spending to bring down deficits, inflation and taxes.”
He said Conservatives will push him to implement a “real” income tax cut and to “axe” the federal sales tax on new homes to lower costs and promote housebuilding. He said cutting taxes would help offset the losses incurred by American tariffs.
Poilievre also wants Carney to repeal anti-energy policies such as the “no-new-pipelines” act, the energy cap and his electric vehicle mandate, “unleashing Canada’s resources.
If accepted, Poilievre vowed to work with the Liberals to help pass those proposals in Parliament “before Canada Day.”
When asked if Poilievre would work with Liberals for other proposed tax cuts, Poilievre said he would have to wait and see what was in the bills brought forward in Parliament, but that the Conservative party supports tax cuts.