Question Period Exchange Sees Poilievre Press Carney on Affordability as PM Emphasizes US Response

As the House of Commons returned from the summer break, Prime Minister Mark Carney fielded questions about affordability from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and issues related to French culture from Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, while touting his government’s response to U.S. trade tensions.

The Tory leader pressed Carney on the cost of Canada’s counter-tariffs and criticized his performance on the economy, while the prime minister said his government is taking steps to create jobs and become more economically independent from the United States.

“The Conservatives’ message is clear: we will fight for you to save you money for groceries, for gas, for your mortgages and your rent, because you are working hard, but this Liberal prime minister is costing you far too much,” Poilievre said Sept. 21 in Question Period.

Poilievre said the government has increased inflation via deficit spending and taxation, challenging comments Carney made about affordability being the best it’s been for 10 years this past March.

“Does the prime minister still believe that affordability is at its best over the last 10 years, like he said, or will he finally admit that Canadians are paying more than ever before?” Poilievre said.

Carney responded with reference to various Liberal government measures he said are tackling the issue of affordability.

“This government will continue to work tooth and nail to make Canadians’ lives more affordable, with tax cuts for 22 million Canadians, with the reduction and elimination of GST for new homes, with the extension of the gas excise tax reduction, and with the Groceries and Essentials Benefit,” Carney said.

Poilievre cited the experience of a man he identified as Justin who he said has begun skipping meals he can’t afford, as well as a Mississauga woman named Lolita who he said was working two jobs in order to afford groceries, calling Carney “absolutely out of touch.”

“She can’t eat speeches, summits, or signing ceremonies,” Poilievre said.

In response to the renewed criticism by the Conservative leader, Carney said Canada faces “three wars,” all of which are contributing to higher prices.

“There are three wars affecting Canadians: the tariff war from the Americans, the war against Iran, the war against Ukraine. They are pushing up fuel prices. They are pushing up grocery prices,” Carney said. The United States rejects the characterization of the trade dispute with Canada as being a “trade war,” while both sides blame each other for the collapse of trade talks in August.

Carney added that his government is working to create jobs for “the Justins and Justines” across Canada, and said it is “making this country more independent from the United States, more resilient, more prosperous.”

Poilievre began his address by referencing the shooting outside of a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sept. 20 on Yom Kippur, which resulted in a police officer and a male suspect becoming injured.

“The Jewish people deserve to live in peace and freedom as they express their faith. Will the prime minister join with me in offering prayers and love for this courageous constable, support for the Jewish community, and condemn all forms of violence?”

Carney said he would join with Poilievre and other MPs in offering their thoughts and prayers for the injured officer and the Jewish community.

“May this House continue to come together to support the Jewish community in Canada and all Canadians to live their full lives,” Carney said.

The day also saw three new Liberal MPs joining the House of Commons for the first time following their victory in the Aug. 31 byelection: North Vancouver—Capilano MP Braeden Caley, who was Carney’s former deputy chief of staff; Beaches—East York MP Tanveer Shahnawaz, who was formerly a Liberal political staffer; and Chicoutimi—Le Fjord MP Daniel Gobeil, who is a dairy farmer.

The Liberals also tabled legislation aimed at speeding up project approvals and to make changes to the labour code related to issues of disruption and federal mediation between the unions and businesses.

Carney will be in New York this week for U.N. meetings.

French Content

During another exchange in Question Period Sept. 21, Blanchet asked Carney whether he would walk back his past reversal of the digital services tax and related rules around Canadian content for streamers, given that trade negotiations with the United States failed last month.

Carney said he would not change his mind about the tax, replying “no” when asked.

The digital services tax, introduced in 2024, was retroactively applied to 2022 and put a 3 percent levy on certain Canadian revenues earned by large tech companies, such as Amazon, Google, and Meta. Ottawa removed that tax in June 2025 after U.S. President Donald Trump cited it in stopping trade talks with Canada.

The Canadian content rules previously obligated large streamers to give part of their revenue in Canada to Canadian content including indigenous and French-language programs, and was later replaced in June 2025 by $600 million per year in federal funding, with Carney stating the shift wasn’t due to U.S. pressure.