Mr. Speaker, with a $62-billion deficit, I think we can all agree that now is not the time to be handing out election goodies.
However, in yesterday’s economic statement, the GST holiday represented 98% of new spending aimed at combatting the rising cost of living. Worse still, this purely vote-seeking measure represents almost the entirety of the government’s response to the cost of living until 2030. This two-month tax holiday, described by the former minister of finance as a costly political gimmick, is the Liberal government’s idea of a long-term economic vision.
If that is the Liberals’ long-term economic vision, perhaps they now understand why Quebeckers are calling for an election.