COLUMN: On Parliament Hill – Illusionary promises

There is no shortage of announcements made by this Liberal government.

Some even sound similar to Conservative platform promises—until it comes to implementation, policy, game plans and action.

Following Iran’s seizure of the Strait of Hormuz, Canada pledged 23.6 million barrels of oil as part of the International Energy Agency’s emergency 400-million-barrel release. Two Conservative MPs asked a simple question: What policies did the government actually put in place to make that promise a reality?

The Minister’s response revealed that no new policies, regulations, or legislation were implemented to fulfill Canada’s commitment. As the National Post observed, “Canada’s oil output is decided by private-sector producers—companies that raise or lower their production based on a range of factors like commodity prices, pipeline availability and maintenance schedules.” In other words, the Liberal government announced a production target without introducing any mechanism to achieve it, relying instead on private producers to hopefully fulfill the pledge they had made.

Much has been said about the free trade deal with the U.S. There are reasons for our disappointment in the self-proclaimed master negotiator, Prime Minister Mark Carney. But, Conservatives put forward serious plans to build leverage, confront U.S. tariffs, and defend Canadian industries and jobs, including an auto plan that secures a new tariff-free auto pact, and make it easier to build and buy Canadian.

A further aggravator to the Canadian economy is interprovincial trade barriers which studies claim are as high as $50-$130 billion a year. Research by Deloitte Canada suggests that the Canadian economy could be boosted by $881 billion should all barriers be removed interprovincially.

Similarly, many professions face barriers interprovincially when it comes to licensing and certification. Such obstacles prevent Canadians from moving around to different provinces with their certifications, which is also an added cost to our economy.

A year ago, the newly elected government passed the “One Canadian Economy Act” intended to remove Canada-wide internal barriers by July 1, 2026. Another deadline missed.

Also, a year ago, Parliament rushed through unprecedented powers for the Liberal government to fast-track big projects and build “at speeds not seen in generations”. As Conservative Leader Poilievre references on social media “zero” projects have been built using those exceptional powers, while 500 projects still wait in the cue for federal approval.

What is holding them back?

For a Prime Minister who has built his whole personae on net zero—even writing a book on it—maybe such announcements are more illusionary.

In a recent video, Prime Minister Carney confessed that Canada would not be meeting Liberal emission targets. He said, “That plan was not sustainable in the long term.” No kidding, none of this is a surprise. Phasing out oil and gas was never a good idea. Canada has what the world needs and is already invested in environmental best practices.

But let’s not forget that Mr. Carney served as Mr. Trudeau’s economic adviser, advocating for broader and higher carbon taxes. He didn’t inherit this agenda—he helped shape it. He championed it and built a career around it, even as it drove up costs and undermined investment. Yet his recent video suggests that phasing out oil and gas was someone else’s idea. Meanwhile, the industrial carbon tax continues to rise, and not a single Trudeau-era anti-development law has been repealed.

You’ll remember the promise to build half a million homes a year. Homebuilding is running at barely half that pace, and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation forecasts an 18 percent decline in housing starts. The trend is already moving in the wrong direction: according to Statistics Canada, housing starts fell another six percent in May.

Then, last week, Prime Minister Carney announced a taxpayer funded Liberal government condo bailout. Conservatives have asked that the ethics committee conduct an urgent investigation about the 2,200 vacant units being proposed as affordable housing. It appears this scheme will be bailing out developers, bankers and investors on the backs of Canadian taxpayers. Why not just let the prices of these condos correct themselves and become affordable to Canadians?

Finally, you’ll recall Prime Minister Carney announcing his reckless ‘strategic partnership” with China. Canada agreed to allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles onto our streets, putting Canadian auto jobs and national security at risk. In exchange, Canada accepted a weak, short-term tariff-relief on canola with no long-term commitment. At the time, Conservatives feared that Canadian agricultural and seafood exporters would continue to suffer with barriers on pork, canola, peas and seafood, as they remained unresolved. Added to that list now are pea starch processors.

What have we learned in the last year? Promises and announcements by this prime minister are illusions—not a game plan.