Liberals duck opposition questions on byelection losses

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OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wasted no time in grilling the government over their humiliating double byelection loss Monday evening, starting question period off with a call to the still-flush-with-victory Bloc Quebecois to hold the government accountable.

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“Voters in Liberal strongholds in Toronto and Montreal have rendered their verdicts,” Poilievre said in French, referring to Monday’s loss in LaSalle–Emard–Verdun to the Bloc Quebecois and June’s Conservative victory in the bellwether Liberal riding of Toronto–St. Paul.

“How can the Bloc keep this government in power, when it’s so bad for Quebec?”

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland — filling in for the absent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — ignored Poilievre’s comments about the election disaster, opting instead to take credit for Tuesday morning’s inflation announcement.

“I’m so glad I have an opportunity to answer a question that has to do with the Canadian economy,” she replied in French.

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“It gives me an opportunity instead to celebrate some good news that we got this morning.”

She described Tuesday morning’s news that inflation slowed to 2% in August, hitting Bank of Canada targets, receiving scores of applause from the Liberals and jeers from the opposition benches.

“It’s such good news for our country, the Conservatives should be celebrating,” she exclaimed.

Calling Freeland an “incompetent finance minister,” Poilievre replied in English that he was sure homeless Canadians were celebrating this morning’s central bank announcement and again urged the Bloc to force the government into what he called a “carbon tax election.”

In response, Freeland accused the Conservatives of actually being afraid of an upcoming election — seemingly convinced that Tuesday morning’s inflation news would result in a dramatic turnaround in the polls, which as of Tuesday showed support for the minority Liberals continuing to plummet.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

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