Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, under the Trudeau government, Canadian streets are less safe, and that is a fact. We see this reflected in a recent report from Statistics Canada which shows the national homicide rate has increased for a third consecutive year. Moreover, nearly one quarter of killings in 2021 were connected to gangs. Without a doubt, this displays your government’s utter failure to address the gang problem that has been steadily growing over the last four years.

Senator Gold, does your government acknowledge that its soft approach on crime has facilitated this increase, and does it take any responsibility for all of the harm inflicted on innocent Canadians?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, Canadians are bracing for a recession in 2023 and are adjusting their budgets to prepare for the economic uncertainty that will come with it. Your government, however, is not doing the same. Rather, in typical Trudeau fashion, the NDP-Liberal government is continuing to do more of the same, which is to spend like the good times will never end.

The Minister of Finance keeps assuring us that the government is being prudent, yet her recent fiscal update projected spending to be $472.5 billion this year. That is $20 billion more than her budget forecasted back in April, which already contained $90 billion in extra spending compared to pre-pandemic. Leader, is this what you and your government call fiscal prudence?