For the final QP of 2024, the PM was elsewhere, licking his wounds and “reflecting” on the damage his actions caused him and his party, and he no longer has a deputy as a result. Pierre Poilievre was off in Mississauga, though a couple of the other leaders were present, because why not? That left Andrew Scheer to lead off in English, and he decried what happened yesterday and lamented the “gut-punch” of the deficit number, and demanded a “strong leader” with a new mandate to head off tariffs. Dominic LeBlanc thanked Scheer for his “heartfelt congratulations on my new role,” and wanted to tell him how proud they were of the statement because it speaks to growth, to supporting Canadians, and a declining debt-to-GDP ratio. Scheer congratulated him on being the fourth finance minister in 24 hours (building a narrative around things that did not happen yesterday), and moaned that more is spent on interest on the debt than healthcare. LeBlanc said that Canadians expect the government be focused on their wellbeing and the border issues, and that he had great conversations on the topic yesterday, which the economic statement supported. Scheer mocked that the government was so proud of the statement that they tabled it and ran away, and again listed economic issues that he blamed the government for, and LeBlanc again praised the investments the government made, and that it was the opposition trying to run the House into chaos. Pierre Paul-Hus took over in French, kept up the Mark Carney conspiracies, and demanded an election. LeBlanc praised the economic statement, and how it plans for growth and responsible use of taxpayer money—somewhat ironic given the GST “holiday” issue. Paul-Hus read portions of Freeland’s letter, and LeBlanc responded with the debt-to-GDP ratio and that this was the time to support Canadians “responsibly.”
Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, decried the deficit in the fiscal update, and demanded an election saying the government doesn’t have confidence. LeBlanc said that they just tested the confidence of the House and got it. Blanchet retorted that they don’t enjoy the confidence of the House, they enjoy the weakness of the NDP, and again demanded an election. LeBlanc raised the dinner he had at Mar-a-Lago and the conversations since.
Jagmeet Singh lambasted the government being focused on their own interests and not Canadians, and demanded the prime minister’s resignation. Karina Gould reminded him that they tested confidence last week, and they are focused on Canadians and the relationship with the U.S. Singh tried again in French, and got the same answer from Gould.