Understanding politicians’ discourse on inflation and cost of living in Canada

Abstract Recent polls indicate that inflation is a frustrating issue for Canadians. How do politicians react to citizens’ dissatisfaction when inflation rates are high? This study analyzed transcripts of parliamentary interventions from the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 to 2022, as well as data on electoral pledges from the Canadian Polimeter. This study examined how Canadian politicians of various partisan affiliations respond to citizens’ concerns about inflation in how much they discussed the issue and how they framed it in the House of Commons over the course of a mandate, as well as in party manifestos and commitments, during election campaigns. This is the first study to examine inflation from a political-elite-based perspective in the Canadian context.