Poilievre, speaking in French, opened with a jab at Trudeau for missing the session’s first two question periods. He said it was “good to see the prime minister”, who he described as “visiting Canada” to “refuel his private jet”. Trudeau had missed the last two question periods because he was traveling on the three-decade-old Can Force One – the same plane used by many of his predecessors – to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, followed by the UN General Assembly in New York. The Conservative leader then turned to his question, which focused on the growing affordability crisis. He asked if Trudeau would take action on the issue, calling on the prime minister not to raise taxes. Story continues below ad 1:15 Poilievre confronts Trudeau: “Gound the jet, park the hypocrisy, and ax the tax hikes” Poilievre confronts Trudeau: “Gound the jet, park the hypocrisy, and ax the tax hikes” Trudeau responded by congratulating Poilievre once again on securing the Conservative leadership, then shared talking points about what the government is doing to create an economy that “works for everyone.” However, Trudeau didn’t shy away from jabs for long — in the third question, he was lobbing criticism at Poilievre, including the Conservative leader’s past support for cryptocurrencies. In response to a question from Poilievre about whether Trudeau plans to “ground the jet, park the hypocrisy and ax the tax hikes,” Trudeau went after Poilievre for the position he took on digital currency during the leadership campaign. “If Canadians had followed the opposition leader’s advice and invested in volatile cryptocurrencies … they would have lost half their savings.” The value of one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, has fallen significantly in recent months. As of Thursday afternoon, it was trading just above US$19,000, a significant drop in value from an all-time high of around US$68,000 last November. Story continues below ad

		Read more: Trudeau slams ‘buzzwords, whistles’ as Poilievre crowned Tory leader 		
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			Trudeau slams ‘buzzwords, whistles’ as Poilievre crowned Tory leader

While Thursday brought some heated exchanges on the floor of the House of Commons, it was not the first time the leaders have traded barbs in the 12 days since Poilievre has been leader of the Conservative Party. Trending Stories

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Poilievre’s first speech to the caucus as leader included several jabs aimed at the Liberal Party — including his call for action on the growing affordability challenges facing Canadians. “Canadians have no money and this prime minister is out of touch,” he said in his Sept. 12 speech. Trudeau unveiled the government’s proposed affordability measures the next day, on September 13. The plan has already proved a contentious issue in question period this week as both parties continue to focus on cost of living issues. Story continues below ad The Liberal Party’s proposal includes money for struggling tenants, a temporary dental care allowance for some children under 12 and a one-off boost to the goods and services tax (GST) credit. Of the $4.6 billion plan, $3.1 billion is new money — on top of what was already provided for in the 2022 budget. Poilievre wasted no time criticizing the proposal publicly, indicating last week that the spending would not help average Canadians — and could worsen inflation. “It just adds more fuel to the inflationary fire,” Poilievre said. Trudeau immediately faced similar questions from reporters, but during his announcement, he backed off the claim that his plan could exacerbate inflationary pressures. “I think the most important thing is to understand that there are Canadians out there who are really hurting. … What we’re doing with these particular measures is targeting those most vulnerable, those who have been hit hardest by increases in inflation,” Trudeau said. “They are also sufficiently targeted that we can be confident that they will not contribute to an increase in inflation.” 2:27 MPs clash over inflation, affordability as Parliament returns MPs clash over inflation, affordability as Parliament returns Trudeau also launched some attacks of his own against the new Conservative leader. Story continues below ad While congratulating Poilievre on his leadership win on Sept. 12, the prime minister immediately turned to calling on Canadians to choose “responsible leadership.” “Buzzwords, dog whistles and careless attacks do not fit into a plan for Canadians. Attacking the institutions that make our society fair, safe and free is not responsible leadership,” he said. Poilievre has taken jabs at various Canadian institutions during his leadership campaign, including calling for the Bank of Canada’s governor to be fired and criticizing universities for being influenced by “thought police.” Trudeau also went after the Conservative leader for his past support for cryptocurrencies. “Telling people they can opt out of inflation by investing their savings in volatile cryptocurrencies is not responsible leadership. By the way, anyone who followed that advice would have seen their savings destroyed,” Trudeau said. As the two leaders make their respective cases in favor of their own parties — and against each other — the verdict on which has the strongest appeal for Canadians won’t come until the next federal election. © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.