Poilievre lays out demands ahead of budget, includes call to cut wasteful spending

Poilievre held a news conference alongside the Canadian Taxpayers Federation on Sunday. He stood in front of a truck displaying a federal “debt clock” as he gave remarks.

“Carney promised affordability, yet everything costs more since he got here,” Poilievre said. “Carney is out of touch, his costs are out of control and Canadians are out of money.”

Midway through the press conference, the “debt clock” display turned off and staff scrambled to fix it.

The Parliamentary Budget Office has predicted that the government will not meet its fiscal anchor of maintaining a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio; instead, the office expects the measure to rise in 2027-28 and 2029-30.

The office also expects a $63.3-billion deficit in fiscal 2026-27, down from a forecast of $71.8 billion in its June outlook. It sees annual deficit levels peaking at $70.2 billion the following year. 

Poilievre said Carney’s government has the biggest deficit ever outside of the COVID-19 pandemic and the highest spending as a share of GDP since the 1990s debt crisis.

He said the prime minister has helped drive up the cost of basic living expenses that people can’t afford.

“You promised affordability. Yet everything is more expensive since you took office. While you cannot control things outside Canada, your decisions at home have only made things worse,” the letter said.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has said the budget will “outline the next steps in our plan to build a stronger, more resilient and more affordable Canada.”

The upcoming fiscal plan will be the second delivered under Carney and comes as Canada’s economy faces sharp headwinds from U.S. tariffs and other geopolitical forces.

Since taking office, Carney has tried to reorient federal spending away from the day-to-day operations of government and instead focus borrowing on an aggressive infrastructure agenda.

Canada’s economy showed some resilience in the second quarter but growth is under fresh pressure after the collapse of trade talks with the United States in August.

“The budget should save Canadians money and jobs and put Canada first,” Poilievre said Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2026

–With files from Catherine Morrison

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Poilievre lays out demands ahead of budget, includes call to cut wasteful spending

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