OTTAWA — Rona Ambrose is offering a glimpse into the Conservative plan of parliamentary attack, saying her caucus will hold the Liberal government to account for its spending and the decision to end Canada's bombing mission in the Middle East.
The interim Conservative leader told Wednesday's caucus meeting that her fellow MPs would be the "strongest official Opposition Canadians have ever seen." Former prime minister Stephen Harper was not in attendance.
"While the Liberals are racking up deficits and spending recklessly, taxpayers deserve to have someone on their side, defending their interests and protecting their hard-earned money," Ambrose said.
"The Conservative Party of Canada is the only party that is going to do that."
Statistics Canada reported this week that the economy expanded slightly in the third quarter of 2015 after two consecutive negative quarters, the technical definition of a recession. Weak September numbers might suggest a slide back into negative growth again for the end of the year.
Still, Ambrose seized on the data in her speech, saying Trudeau is fighting "a recession that didn't even happen." The Liberals have promised to run modest deficits, and raise taxes on the wealthy, to help pay for major infrastructure projects.
Ambrose also indicated that the party would continue to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep Canada's fighter jets flying bombing missions in Syria and Iraq, where they are taking part in the U.S-led fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL or ISIS.
Trudeau has said the CF-18s will be withdrawn, and that the government would seek other ways to contribute to the fight that made better use of Canadian expertise and resources.
"Even after Paris was attacked by the Islamic State, and while the allied coalition against terror is ramping up its efforts, the Liberals have maintained that our CF-18s would come home," Ambrose said.
"So our job as Conservatives is to remind the government that sometimes taking the fight to the enemy is the right thing to do."