Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives cancelled the long form census, we knew that they were abandoning evidence-based decision-making in favour of implementing their narrowly partisan agenda.
The proof was in the pudding last week, when they introduced the omnibus crime bill.
Despite a well-documented 20-year decline in the crime rate and an acknowledgement by even U.S. Republicans that increased incarceration has done nothing to reduce recidivism, the Conservatives are ploughing ahead with mandatory minimum sentences and megajails, all evidence be damned.
Regrettably, the government is adopting the same ostrich-like approach to dealing with the current economic turmoil. The Prime Minister cannot just stick his head in the sand and ignore the fact that 1.4 million Canadians are out of work, that the unemployment rate for students was a staggering 17% this summer, that Moody's is reporting record levels of household debt and that every senior economist is warning of another deep recession.
Canadians need, and deserve, their government's support. Glibly suggesting that we are in a relatively stronger position than countries like Greece is an insult to the hard-working Canadians and seniors who are worried about making ends meet.
The time is now for the government to finally acknowledge the legitimate concerns of Canadians, act on the evidence and present a credible plan to safeguard Canadian jobs and our economy.