Article content

First off, can we please stop the references to party leaders making “campaign-style” speeches? What other kind is there? They’re all campaign-style speeches, nowadays, because the campaign is already under way — because it is always on.

Anyway, in what was inevitably described as a “campaign-style” speech to caucus in Ottawa over the weekend, Andrew Scheer staked the Conservative claim to being the party of affordability. If the Liberals are re-elected, Scheer warned, “everything — from the gasoline you put in your car to the food you put on your table to the taxes you pay to Ottawa — will cost you more money.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Andrew Coyne: How politicians could make life more affordable for Canadians, without new spending or taxes Back to video

“The everyday Canadians we fight for,” he said, “can’t afford four more years of Justin Trudeau.” He presented himself, according to the Canadian Press, “as the product of an average middle-class family — in contrast to Trudeau’s privileged upbringing.”

Talking of Justin Trudeau, the prime minister gave his own “campaign-style speech” the week before, in which, as Huffington Post Canada has it, “he said his government’s actions — from the more generous Canada Child Benefit to enhancements to Old Age Security — are making life more affordable for countless Canadians.”