SURREY: Pierre Poilievre has vowed to slash the federal government's budget for consultants by $10 billion if elected.
The Conservative leader said it was just one part of his plan to "axe the inflation tax," adding that other expenses on the chopping block include bureaucracy and foreign aid, as well as handouts to corporate insiders and special interest groups.
"I'm gonna address the inflated cost of consultants, which have gone up over 100% during the lost Liberal decade," Poilievre said during a press conference on Sunday, explaining that the average family pays $1,000 in federal taxes on consultants alone. "This is insane."
He went on to announce that a Conservative government would bring spending on consultants from the current $20 billion per year back down to the level it was under former prime minister Stephen Harper.
Poilievre contrasted his plan to that of his Liberal opponent, Mark Carney, who revealed $130 billion in new spending over the next four years.
"I've been saying Mr. Carney is the same as Justin Trudeau," he said. "Yesterday we learned that Mark Carney is far more costly ... Justin Trudeau had planned massive deficits over the next four years. Mark Carney has introduced even bigger ones. Combining Trudeau's planned deficits with Carney's new promises, a fourth Liberal government would bring in a quarter-trillion dollars of inflationary debt."
"We cannot afford a fourth Liberal term," he added. "We need a change in Canada."
While the Liberals and NDP have released their costed plans, the Conservatives have yet to make theirs public.