OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says a new Liberal majority government means Prime Minister Mark Carney no longer has any excuse for failing to deliver on his economic promises.

Poilievre spoke to a business crowd at the Canadian Club Toronto on Thursday to lay out his vision for Canada’s economy.

He spent much of his time at the podium attacking Carney’s record.

“Mr. Carney has been wrong about every major economic issue of the last decade,” Poilievre told the crowd.

“The gap between Mr. Carney’s boasting and his results is perhaps unprecedented.”

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Poilievre said in a recent interview that Carney, who holds degrees in economics from Harvard and Oxford, was “very badly educated” in the field.

He noted in his speech that the United Kingdom experienced stagnant growth when Carney was heading up the Bank of England — a seven-year span that included Brexit and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Poilievre also cited the former central banker’s past prediction that inflation would not surge as much as it did in the post-pandemic recovery.

Carney shot back at Poilievre’s comments about his education in question period Wednesday, saying he felt like was “in the presence of students” who wouldn’t pass an exam.

In his speech, Poilievre argued Canada is poorer, weaker and more expensive to live in after a year of Carney in power.

He said the Conservatives backed legislation to give the Liberals sweeping powers to rapidly build major projects in Canada — a reference to Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which became law in June of last year.

"How many projects has he approved since June with those new powers? Not one single new major project, not one oil pipeline, not one port, nothing," Poilievre said.

• READ MORE: PM Carney enters his majority era, says he doesn’t plan to call an election
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Poilievre said in a recent interview that Carney, who holds degrees in economics from Harvard and Oxford, was “very badly educated” in the field.

He noted in his speech that the United Kingdom experienced stagnant growth when Carney was heading up the Bank of England — a seven-year span that included Brexit and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Poilievre also cited the former central banker’s past prediction that inflation would not surge as much as it did in the post-pandemic recovery.

Carney shot back at Poilievre’s comments about his education in question period Wednesday, saying he felt like was “in the presence of students” who wouldn’t pass an exam.

In his speech, Poilievre argued Canada is poorer, weaker and more expensive to live in after a year of Carney in power.

He said the Conservatives backed legislation to give the Liberals sweeping powers to rapidly build major projects in Canada — a reference to Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which became law in June of last year.

"How many projects has he approved since June with those new powers? Not one single new major project, not one oil pipeline, not one port, nothing," Poilievre said.

• READ MORE: Poilievre deflects question on leadership after another Conservative MP defects to Liberals
• READ MORE: Poilievre says he’s not going anywhere, following double-digit byelection defeats

The Conservative leader blamed Carney for failing to advance talks to build a pipeline to get Alberta oil to the British Columbia coast. Poilievre’s appearance at the Canadian Club was sponsored in part by energy giant Enbridge.

Carney said earlier this week Ottawa was making “good progress” in talks with Alberta on both specific projects and a framework for future investments in the province.

After nearly a year of minority government, the Liberals secured a majority mandate on Monday after sweeping a set of three byelections. Five MPs — four from the Conservatives and one former New Democrat — have also crossed the floor since last fall to bolster Liberal numbers in the House of Commons.

On Tuesday, Carney said the governing party will continue to collaborate with MPs of any stripe, and he expects more “substance” in Parliament now that the Liberals are able to dictate the agenda and pass legislation without the support of opposition parties.

In a moderated question-and-answer period after his speech, Poilievre was asked what he thinks will change on Parliament Hill after the Liberals secured a thin majority.

Poilievre downplayed the new dynamic and said the Conservatives had already given “incredible grace” to the government to pass legislation.

“He is the only thing standing in his own way, but now he doesn’t even have a rhetorical excuse and it’s going to be time for him to produce,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be time for him to deliver on all the very lofty promises he made in the last election, and we’ll be there to hold him to account on all of those things.”

In his speech, Poilievre cited a report released Wednesday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business describing an “entrepreneurial drought” since early 2024, where more businesses are closing than opening.

Some 55 per cent of small business owners polled by the CFIB in October said they would not recommend opening a new business right now in Canada, the report said.

• READ MORE: Expect ‘resilience’ to be the Canadian economic word of 2026
• READ MORE: PM Carney defends record as economy sheds 84,000 jobs in February

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.

多伦多加拿大俱乐部

作为加拿大首屈一指的公共事务中心，多伦多加拿大俱乐部秉承其卓越的传统，致力于连接加拿大民众与世界级领袖和新闻人物。我们的平台备受推崇，是与眼光独到的听众分享理念、洞见、策略和新闻的理想场所。

129 年来，我们始终秉持着一项雄心勃勃且意义深远的使命：将加拿大民众与世界级领袖、决策者和思想领袖联系起来，共同探讨至关重要的议题。无论是接待国家元首、企业高管、诺贝尔奖得主、顶尖科学家、创新者还是知名艺术家，我们这家广受认可的非营利组织都在不断调整和变革，以满足当今精明的信息消费者的需求。

我们的会员和听众来自各行各业，拥有令人瞩目的多元化领袖群体。多伦多加拿大俱乐部的杰出嘉宾演讲者经常吸引全国媒体的关注，并吸引大量听众。我们致力于提升公众参与度，俱乐部提供的节目形式多样，包括在线、网络直播和有线电视播出，充分体现了我们对公众参与的承诺。

多元化与包容性

加拿大俱乐部多伦多分会是加拿大首屈一指的公共事务平台，正如我们生活和工作的城市一样，我们坚信多元化是我们的优势。为了实现这一使命，我们致力于在平台和组织内部营造多元化的代表性，从而更好地反映这座城市和这个国家的居民及其面临的问题。

加拿大俱乐部多伦多智慧森林™

我们很荣幸能与加拿大森林信托基金合作，通过创建加拿大俱乐部多伦多智慧森林，采取切实有效的气候行动。智慧森林融合了自然智慧与先进技术，并深受原住民社区知识的启发。这项举措体现了我们对可持续发展和建设更绿色未来的承诺。

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