Mr. Speaker, lost in all of the media stories last week was a CBC story that talked about a Campbell's soup executive getting caught in a meeting making fun of the “poor people” who ate their soup. This executive apparently said that Campbell's soup was for “poor people” and was a “highly processed food” that poor people had to eat.
When I saw that story, it seemed to be the perfect analogy for the Liberals with this budget. In the story, the executive, by his own admission, is selling highly processed food. If a person goes to Walmart, I think the price of a can of Campbell's soup ranges between $1.50 and $2.50. Frankly, it is what a lot of people in Canada are eating right now, yet this executive was making fun of the people, the poor plebes, who have to eat a can of Campbell's soup. The reality is a lot of people in Canada work really hard and used to be able to go out and afford a steak dinner once or twice a month or think about having a beef rib roast at Christmas. That was not much of a problem 10 years ago, but those are the people now eating Campbell's soup.
The arrogance in that executive's comments, I think, is exactly what the arrogance is of the Liberal government in tabling this budget. I looked at this budget through the lens of one of my constituents and wondered if they would think I was doing my fiduciary responsibility and standing up for good, wise stewardship of their tax dollars by supporting this. The first question I asked myself was, what is in it for my constituents? Is there anything in it for my constituents?
Although the Liberals have tried to sell this budget, it has, I think, a record deficit. We have never seen money like this in Canadian history. Economists and experts have talked about the fact that it is going to bankrupt future generations and that we are likely going to see a credit downgrade in the country. It has made our country less resilient. It is one of the most intensely deficit-laden budgets in history.
I wanted to see what is in it for my constituents. I thought we would see something like maybe a GST cut for all the money that the Liberals are spending, or maybe a rocket ship to the moon or a highway paved in gold, but instead I think it condemns my constituents to more soup nights. Please, sir, can I have some more Liberal deficits and Campbell's soup?
At the end of the day, what people want to look at or see in a budget is prudence and something for them. What we have seen out of the Liberal government over the last 10 years are funding announcements that result in nothing for Canadians, waste, deficit, higher taxes, and the inability to have a steak dinner. Most people in Canada want a steak dinner. That would be nice. I am an Albertan. Alberta beef is the best, but people cannot afford it anymore. They cannot afford protein.
I am not talking about just some Canadians. I am talking about most Canadians, those who, in many jurisdictions, would be considered solidly middle class. They are double-income families, but they are sometimes working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. They have seen their rents increase. They cannot get access to timely health care. There are all sorts of issues making their life worse, but the government is spending more. How is it that the government is asking us to support a bill that keeps seeing Canadians' lives getting worse while the Liberals spend more? That is a “no” for me. It is a “no” for most of my constituents too.
I want to also highlight the level of waste that we see in the government. Some of my colleagues have been litigating and doing an excellent job. Our shadow minister for industry, for example, has been doing a great job litigating the fact that the Liberals spent $13 billion or $14 billion on Stellantis.