OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney is avoiding accountability after recent data showed the Canadian economy contracted again.

Statistics Canada said Friday that real gross domestic product declined on an annualized basis for a second consecutive quarter to start the year, meeting some definitions of a technical recession.

Poilievre says there’s nothing technical about this downturn and Canadians need answers about why Canada has the only shrinking economy in the G7.

The Conservatives are calling for an emergency parliamentary debate so the government and Official Opposition can present their competing visions for the economy.

Carney is scheduled to tour a construction site in Ottawa today and won’t be present for question period in the House of Commons.

Many economists have dismissed the recession label to describe the economy, arguing the recent slump doesn’t have the depth or breadth to meet that bar.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press