Poilievre says Conservatives will back Liberal tax cuts, but wants them to go further

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 3:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday that his enactment volition enactment projected Liberal taxation cuts but urged the governing enactment to marque those cuts steeper.

"We are the enactment of taxpayers. We volition ballot for each taxation chopped ever and everywhere. We emotion taxpayers and we privation taxpayers to beryllium amended off," Poilievre told reporters extracurricular the House of Commons.

"The question we ever inquire is, 'Is the connection amended than the presumption quo?' If it is past we enactment it. If it's not past we reason it." 

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to bring successful an income-tax chopped by Canada Day. The Conservatives projected a similar, but steeper, taxation chopped during the predetermination campaign.

It's rare, but not unheard of for the Official Opposition to backmost authorities legislation. Poilievre's Conservatives person done truthful successful the past.

WATCH | Carney talks authorities ambitions successful exclusive interview: 

Poilievre said the Liberals should spell further with their income taxation chopped and different policies, but suggested helium would enactment immoderate taxation chopped that's connected the table.

"We volition connection adjacent amended ideas successful the aboriginal and arsenic I said a fewer weeks ago, I'm encouraging the Liberals to bargain my ideas due to the fact that we person the champion ideas," the Conservative person said Wednesday.

Included successful Tuesday's throne code was a Liberal pledge to region the GST connected homes nether $1 million. Poilievre suggested the Liberals should spell further connected this argumentation arsenic well.

Poilievre called connected the Liberals to contiguous a fund this outpouring alternatively than waiting until the autumn arsenic is presently planned.

WATCH | 'I'd emotion to beryllium successful there,' Poilievre says: 

The Conservative leader's comments came conscionable up of the archetypal question play of this parliamentary session. Poilievre, who mislaid his spot during the past election, had to ticker the proceedings from extracurricular the chamber.

"I'd emotion to beryllium successful there, it's a large place. I emotion the House of Commons. I emotion the excitement and the thrill. I've ne'er truly been a spectator of the House, but I'm going to enactment hard to gain the accidental to bash it again," helium said erstwhile asked astir missing the archetypal question period.

Poilievre is aiming to tally successful a byelection successful the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot erstwhile it's called. That ballot is expected to instrumentality spot sometime this summer.

NDP expects to beryllium included successful question period

Tuesday besides marked the archetypal question play that the NDP was facing with its reduced caucus.

The New Democrats lone person 7 seats, abbreviated of the required 12 required to beryllium recognized arsenic an authoritative enactment nether House of Commons rules.

Being a recognized enactment includes a fewer perks, including a guaranteed fig of questions during each question period.

WATCH | Davies says NDP volition inquire questions each day: 

Despite not having that authoritative status, interim NDP person Don Davies told reporters connected Tuesday that his enactment is expecting to beryllium allocated 7 questions a week.

"We're going to person astatine slightest 1 question each time — sometimes 2 — truthful we're going to beryllium a regular diagnostic of question period," Davies told reporters. Davies asked the past question during Wednesday's question period.

The NDP has been negotiating with different parties to summation a larger relation successful the House contempt its smaller caucus.

One question inactive lingering is whether the NDP would beryllium capable to beryllium connected House committees — thing lone reserved for recognized parties.

When asked if granting the NDP committee seats was inactive connected the table, Davies said helium wouldn't "negotiate successful public."