Liberal House leader calls Poilievre a 'fraudster' and a 'bully' as Commons returns

Liberal House leader Karina Gould kicked off the fall sitting of Parliament Monday by calling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a «fraudster» and a «bully» and accusing him of holding a secret agenda that Canadians won't like.

«What I heard yesterday from Mr. Poilievre was so over the top, so irresponsible, so immature and something only a fraudster would do,» Gould said Monday in Ottawa.

She said the Conservative leader's attacks on carbon pricing are an effort to «distract Canadians from his real agenda … because he knows that they won't like it if they find out.»

Gould was referring to a speech Poilievre delivered to his caucus Sunday morning in which he said the government's plan to increase the carbon price would cause a «nuclear winter» for the economy.

«There would be mass hunger and malnutrition with a tax this high … Our seniors would have to turn the heat down to 14 or 13 C just to make it through the winter,» Poilievre said.

«Inflation would run rampant and people would not be able to leave their homes or drive anywhere.»

Gould said the financial stress Canadians are facing would be made worse by a Poilievre government she said would cut benefits to seniors and families.

She accused the Conservative leader of bullying reporters and promising to defund the CBC in a time of «incredible disinformation.» She said that when Poilievre is challenged by journalists, he responds «as a bully, as someone who will not stand to scrutiny.»

The return of a 'normal' minority Parliament

Gould also cited the death of the governance agreement between her party and the New Democrats. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced on Sept. 4 he was terminating his party's deal with the Liberals.

The agreement struck between the two parties in March