SoVote

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Mar/22/22 10:22:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that a huge part of the extreme gas prices we are seeing is the egregious price gouging by the huge oil companies, yet this motion from the Conservative Party would do nothing to address the windfall profits that the big oil companies are making. Could the member please inform the House why he has entirely missed dealing with the primary source of this affordability issue?

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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Mar/22/22 12:15:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with the member that there are so many people in our country who are struggling with the cost of living. The Conservative motion really focuses on people who use diesel and gasoline, who admittedly are a large portion of the population, but many of the people who are struggling the most with affordability are people who do not drive. They are people who are living in poverty, people working minimum-wage jobs or seniors who are not able to drive for a whole host of different reasons. Those people are also struggling with the cost of living, in many ways more than the rest of the population. Why did my hon. colleague's party not put forward or craft a mechanism that would more broadly help people who are struggling with the cost of living?

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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Mar/22/22 1:15:05 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, my fellow British Columbian colleague's last comment about price gouging seemed to suggest that price gouging by oil companies is not a big issue when it comes to gas prices, but he will be familiar with the fact that, in 2019, the B.C. Utilities Commission did a study and found that 13 cents of what were then much lower gas prices were attributed to factors that could not be explained by the competitive market. Today, that 13 cents is likely much more. Could the member speak to this discrepancy and uncompetitive gouging that is happening at the pumps?

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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Mar/22/22 1:29:32 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, the member made several points in her speech about the cost of home heating. I agree very much that this issue needs to be addressed, but I am confused, for two reasons. The first one is that just a couple of hours ago, the NDP brought forward an amendment to this motion. It dealt specifically with the cost of home heating and was refused by the Conservative Party. The first question is why, since it is obviously an issue that concerns her. The second issue is that the Conservative motion deals specifically with the cost of gasoline and diesel. The member spoke about seniors being forced to choose between heating and meals. Could my hon. colleague tell us how many seniors in her riding heat their homes with diesel or gasoline?

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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Mar/22/22 4:53:37 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I share her concern about the affordability crisis and the cost of living in our country. I do find, however, that the Conservative policy proposal is rather narrow in its scope. She mentioned that everybody needs a break and I cannot agree more, yet this motion only deals with people who drive. There are so many people who are struggling with the cost of living who cannot afford to drive. The average cost of car ownership the last time I checked, which was several years ago, was $9,000 per year. There are seniors who do not drive. There are young people who do not drive. There are people who do not drive gas vehicles. None of those people benefit from this motion. Why did my colleague and her party not consider a more broad initiative that would truly help every Canadian with the affordability crisis?

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