May 27, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Ed Fast, Conservative Shadow Minister for Finance, and Gérard Deltell, the House Leader of the Official Opposition, issued the statement below following the astonishing performance of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, during the Committee of the Whole last night:

“Yesterday in the Committee of the Whole, Minister Freeland was asked numerous questions about how the Liberal government will secure the future for Canadians but refused to provide a real answer to a single question. This is an insult to the countless Canadians who have lost their jobs due to Justin Trudeau’s failed economic record.

“Despite having senior Department of Finance officials by her side, she deliberately refused to answer straightforward questions about when the federal budget will be balanced, what elements of the 2021 budget will improve Canadian productivity and competitiveness, and how many Canadian jobs have been created by pumping tens of millions of dollars into the China-controlled Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

“Her performance yesterday was an affront to our democracy that lowers the bar on Parliamentary accountability.

“On Monday, Ministers Garneau, Ng, and Gould will take their turn in the Committee of the Whole. If they follow the example of the Deputy Prime Minister, then Canadians should rightly question the respect the Trudeau Liberals have for our parliamentary process.

“By failing to answer a single question on Canada’s economic recovery, Justin Trudeau’s Finance Minister showed yet again there’s only one party that will get as many people back to work in every part of Canada, in every sector, and as quickly as possibly – Canada’s Conservatives.”