Sunday November 2, 2025 | NATIONAL [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed media today in Ottawa, just two days ahead of Budget 2025.
The upcoming federal budget is scheduled for presentation on November 4 in the House of Commons by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
This first budget of the Carney Liberal government since being elected at the end of April 2025 has been eluded to by Carney as a budget of austerity and investment. And recently he told Canadians — mostly young working adults to expect to sacrifice in the economic times that lie ahead.
Affordability theme:
Between first the French delivery of his remarks and then the same in English, plus answering media questions, today Poilievre spoke for nearly 30 minutes on an affordability theme.
He held the press conference in a food bank, to stress the affordability aspect for Canadian today — a situation that is getting worse not better.
“We need an affordable budget for an affordable life.”
He leveled a range of criticisms of the Carney Liberal government — from the cost of housing and food to the increased federal government deficit.
Economic struggle has “landed on the shoulders of single moms and seniors and others who cannot pay their bills”, said Poilievre today.
Reducing the deficit is not to please accountants about bottom lines but to help the working poor, he outlined.
“It will be more expensive to eat, heat and house yourself,” said Poilievre today.
The Conservative leader says to the Liberal prime minister: “What more do you expect our youth to sacrifice? You’ve taken away home ownership” and left people with “empty bank accounts and empty stomachs”.
To the younger generation Poilievre said today: “You deserve to have hope, jobs and homes.”
Poilievre says the Conservatives want to see cuts to the public service and consultants.
Irony of small-but-mighty NDP:
Affordability had been the benchmark mantra of NDP politics for years until it got swept away from them by both the Liberals and the Conservatives in Election 2025.
Votes on budgets are by default a confidence vote.
Ironically, it’s the seven remaining NDP MPs under the leadership of Leader Don Davies who — if they vote to support the Liberal budget on Tuesday — will save the country from the possibility of a December 2025 federal election.
Davies has said in recent weeks that the NDP are looking for investment not austerity in Budget 2025.
Leadership review:
In a CBC interview today, Poilievere said about the upcoming Conservative Party leadership review: “I’m going to focus on doing my job” which today he outlined as fighting for “affordable life, affordable homes, and safe communities.”
=====RELATED:
- Bank of Canada drops interest rate to 2.25% in Oct 29 announcement (October 29, 2025)
- NDP concerned that Carney’s pre-budget speech hints at austerity (October 24, 2025)
- NDP will support a federal budget that invests in jobs, housing & health care (October 8, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CONSERVATIVE PARTY | 45th PARLIAMENT of CANADA | CANADA-NATIONAL | CANADA-USA | BUDGET 2025