Hours before a scheduled leaders’ debate on the economy, the Conservative and the NDP campaigns were taking aim at Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s fiscal plans.
In Ottawa, the NDP said that, thanks to Trudeau’s short-term thinking and inexperience, the Liberals are planning to impose “deep” austerity cuts, in a plan that overestimates personal income tax revenue by approximately $1 billion.
Alongside former Saskatchewan finance minister Andrew Thomson, Peggy Nash touted the NDP’s newly released economic plan, and questioned why Trudeau had yet to present a formal fiscal blueprint.
During a noon-hour campaign stop in Toronto, Conservative candidate Jason Kenney launched his own attack on the Liberals’ economic pledges.
Kenney accused Trudeau of planning to take away benefits from families and “run deficits permanently,” not just the three years the Liberal leader has pledged.
“Rather than run three, $10-billion deficits as he’s vaguely suggested, Justin’s spending promises can only be met if he runs deficits more than double that initially, and more than triple that when fully implemented,” Kenney said.
The senior Conservative also said Trudeau’s “recklessness” would plunge Canadians “immediately back into deficit” with growing debts and higher taxes.
When asked about the NDP’s economic plan, Kenney also went on the attack, saying Mulcair pretends to be a “newfound convert to fiscal spending,” despite major spending demands for “every conceivable” government program since he became party leader.
“This is a cloak-and-dagger routine by the NDP,” Kenney said.
Harper, Mulcair and Trudeau are scheduled to participate in a leaders’ debate on the economy in Calgary, Thursday evening.
