Leader, we know that over in the other place Liberal members like to pretend they’re Indigenous, like to pretend they’re Black and now we find out they also like to make up new words. On Monday the Minister of Finance introduced Canadians to a new word: “vibecession.” Last year they made up the new term “rapporteur on foreign interference,” and this year they’ve made up a new word to explain away their utter incompetence.

Apparently, this new word, “vibecession,” enlightens Canadians who don’t realize how wonderful the economy actually is. All those people who can’t afford food, housing or gas to drive to work are just feeling bad vibes.

Leader, does your government really believe that the Canadians who are lined up at food banks don’t need help, that they only think they’re hungry and that it’s all in their minds? Isn’t that a bit insulting, leader?

This government does not believe that people who are hungry or lining up at food banks don’t really need the help they are seeking, nor does this government view the high cost of housing or food as imaginary problems.

On the contrary, that’s why this government has taken concrete action to assist Canadians within its areas of jurisdiction and beyond by using its spending power to provide, in a generous but fiscally responsible way, a measure of assistance in all of those areas.

I will not attempt to interpret for you what the minister was trying to say, except to say that there is a difference between the lived realities of individual Canadians in their day-to-day lives and actual macroeconomic measures that show that, in fact, Canada’s situation has improved on a macro level.

Leader, last week we heard pearls of wisdom from the Prime Minister when he said, “Let the bankers worry about the economy.” I think he should hire Senator Loffreda. Maybe he would worry about the economy.

Was anybody surprised by what he said, leader? No one thinks he worries about the economy. Isn’t that why we need a carbon tax election — so that somebody worries about the carbon tax and balances the budget?

I’m sorry, but I will leave aside the degree to which you personalize your questions — in this case not toward me.

Senator, as I just tried to answer before, the fact is that this government has managed the economy in a responsible way, as the figures show, which is a separate question from the unfortunate continuing need Canadians have for the assistance of the federal and provincial governments in difficult times.