OTTAWA, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, today released the following statement in response to the Trudeau government’s Fall Economic Statement:
 
“Without a plan for vaccines, there can be no plan for the economy.
 
“Canadians have only asked one thing of this government: what is the plan? This Fall Economic Statement answers that question – there is no plan.
 
“I am really glad the Liberals took my proposal from my leadership platform this spring on support for parents by boosting the Canada Child Benefit. I’m glad because this was a concrete proposal to help families, and especially moms, who need it the most. But we know Canadians need more.
 
“The truth is the Liberals’ economic response has been erratic and confused. Millions more Canadians were put on the CERB than necessary when their jobs could have been maintained if the Liberals had implemented a wage subsidy earlier.
 
“The Canadian economy was already showing serious signs of weakness before the pandemic hit. Ignoring our warnings, the Liberals took pride in running large structural deficits and raising taxes in good economic times. Now, Justin Trudeau is running a historic deficit of almost $400 billion – and still leaving millions of Canadians behind.
 
“My experience in the military and in business demands of us to learn from our failures.  We must provide stability and certainty to those who rely on us. While the Prime Minister prefers to compare himself to the worst student in the class, I want to strive for Canada to be the best.
 
“While Americans are talking about mass vaccination throughout January, our government is talking about getting Canadians vaccinated for September. The Minister of Health talks a great deal about caring for Canadians, but there is only way to describe how we got in this situation: incompetence.
 
“We need to get this country working again. With a government that will put the prosperity of all Canadians ahead of the special interests of a select few, Canada will emerge from COVID-19 stronger, richer, and more determined than ever before.
 
“Canadians deserve certainty, clarity, and competence from their government. Canadians deserve a real plan for the challenges we face today, so that our children will have opportunities tomorrow.”