The Conservative Party has reshuffled part of its front bench, appointing veteran Ontario MP Michael Chong as its new finance critic. While the faces have changed, the party’s message remains the same: Conservatives continue to insist Canada is in a recession despite recent data showing the economy has started growing again.
The changes are part of what Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has branded the party’s new “affordability team.” Chong replaces Alberta MP Jasraj Hallan in the finance portfolio and says his priority is clear.
“My focus is on affordability, affordability, affordability, affordability,” he said in an interview.
Chong said he plans to approach his new responsibilities the same way he handled the foreign affairs file over the past six years—by relying on facts and presenting them clearly.
“I’m going to be focused on the evidence and clearly communicate that,” he said.
His comments come after Statistics Canada reported that real GDP grew by 0.5 per cent in April, following two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. Those figures prompted several economists to argue that critics, including the Conservatives, had been too quick to declare the country in a recession.
Chong, however, is standing by that assessment.
“A recession has been often defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, and so on that definition, Canada is in a recession,” he said.
He added that a single month of modest growth does little to change what he believes is the broader economic reality.
“One month of anemic growth, of half a per cent, does not change the overall picture.”
For weeks, Conservatives have described Canada’s economic situation as a “full-blown recession.” The party even released an AI-generated advertisement poking fun at those who argued the country was only “technically” in recession. The Liberal government, meanwhile, has deliberately avoided using the term during debates in the House of Commons.
Not everyone agrees with the Conservative interpretation.
BMO chief economist Doug Porter argued that, aside from the GDP numbers, most traditional economic indicators do not suggest Canada is experiencing what would normally be considered a true recession.
For Chong, though, the bigger issue is what Canadians are experiencing in their daily lives.
He said too many families are struggling to pay their bills and accused the federal government of failing to tackle the root causes of rising costs. In his view, stronger competition rules in sectors such as groceries, fuel and housing would help bring prices down.
He also criticized the government for not introducing what he called meaningful tax reforms to encourage investment and warned that Canada’s declining productivity has become a serious economic concern.
The reshuffle also sees Jasraj Hallan move to the national revenue portfolio, while Ontario MP Eric Duncan succeeds Chong as foreign affairs critic.
Poilievre has kept the rest of his senior leadership team intact, including deputy leaders Melissa Lantsman and Tim Uppal, House Leader Andrew Scheer and Chief Whip Chris Warkentin.
The Conservative caucus now has 84 critic roles spread across its 140 MPs.
Elsewhere, British Columbia MP Aaron Gunn becomes the party’s ethics and government accountability critic, replacing Ontario MP Michael Barrett, who takes over the veterans affairs portfolio.
The appointment comes as the House of Commons ethics committee prepares to consider whether it should investigate Ottawa’s proposal to partner with the British Columbia government to purchase unsold condominium units in the province.
Committee chair John Brassard recently told Poilievre that any decision to launch an investigation will ultimately rest with committee members. Liberals currently hold five of the committee’s 10 voting seats.
Another key appointment sees Alberta MP Shuv Majumdar become the Conservatives’ critic for Canada-U.S. relations, an increasingly important role as the three North American partners prepare for the formal review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Majumdar recently travelled to Washington, D.C., alongside fellow Conservative MPs for meetings with Canadian oil industry representatives and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
One notable omission from Poilievre’s updated critic team is Ontario MP Jamil Jivani. Jivani has made two separate trips to Washington on his own, including one alongside Majumdar in April. He is also known for his close friendship with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, has met President Donald Trump and remains in contact with Greer and his office.
Meanwhile, Ontario MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman leaves her role as Canada-U.S. trade critic to become the party’s special adviser for Ontario.
Poilievre last reorganized his critic team after the 2025 federal election and had indicated another reshuffle could follow an expected Liberal cabinet overhaul. That cabinet shakeup, however, never happened.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has likewise kept his cabinet largely unchanged since appointing ministers in May 2025.
