Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivers a speech at the Canadian Club of Toronto in Toronto on Thursday, April 16, 2026. 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.
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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.
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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.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.
多倫多加拿大俱樂部
作為加拿大首屈一指的公共事務中心，多倫多加拿大俱樂部秉承其卓越的傳統，致力於連接加拿大民眾與世界級領袖和新聞人物。我們的平台備受推崇，是與眼光獨到的聽眾分享理念、洞見、策略和新聞的理想場所。
129 年來，我們始終秉持著一項雄心勃勃且意義深遠的使命：將加拿大民眾與世界級領袖、決策者和思想領袖聯係起來，共同探討至關重要的議題。無論是接待國家元首、企業高管、諾貝爾獎得主、頂尖科學家、創新者還是知名藝術家，我們這家廣受認可的非營利組織都在不斷調整和變革，以滿足當今精明的信息消費者的需求。
我們的會員和聽眾來自各行各業，擁有令人矚目的多元化領袖群體。多倫多加拿大俱樂部的傑出嘉賓演講者經常吸引全國媒體的關注，並吸引大量聽眾。我們致力於提升公眾參與度，俱樂部提供的節目形式多樣，包括在線、網絡直播和有線電視播出，充分體現了我們對公眾參與的承諾。
多元化與包容性
加拿大俱樂部多倫多分會是加拿大首屈一指的公共事務平台，正如我們生活和工作的城市一樣，我們堅信多元化是我們的優勢。為了實現這一使命，我們致力於在平台和組織內部營造多元化的代表性，從而更好地反映這座城市和這個國家的居民及其麵臨的問題。
加拿大俱樂部多倫多智慧森林™
我們很榮幸能與加拿大森林信托基金合作，通過創建加拿大俱樂部多倫多智慧森林，采取切實有效的氣候行動。智慧森林融合了自然智慧與先進技術，並深受原住民社區知識的啟發。這項舉措體現了我們對可持續發展和建設更綠色未來的承諾。
Canadian Club Toronto
For over 129 years, we have delivered on an ambitious and timely mission: to connect Canadians with world-class leaders, decision-makers and thought leaders on issues that matter most. Whether it’s hosting heads of state, C-suite executives, Nobel laureates, leading scientists, creative innovators or popular artists, our well-recognized not-for-profit organization continues to adapt and change to meet the needs of today’s astute consumers of information.
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