44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/22/22 10:18:56 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the member is part of the governing Liberal-NDP coalition government. They are the ones who have the power to introduce policies within the House that can make a difference in the lives of Canadians. They have not done so. We have asked them repeatedly. Now the member is asking me to pass the buck over to the municipalities and the provinces. That is typical Liberal bafflegab.
At this point in time, Canadians just want to see their federal government, the Prime Minister and the member do something about the housing crisis and the affordability crisis. Conservatives are starting to do that on this side of the House. We are offering a solution to lift the GST on fuel, at least temporarily.
124 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 10:21:07 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we want this GST relief to apply equally across Canada so that Canadians in all provinces, such as Quebec, enjoy a reduction in GST that allows them to at least buy gas at a lower price. That goes to affordability.
As to how this will be executed in Quebec, we have simply said that the federal portion of the GST, or the QST that is applied in Quebec, would be temporarily lifted to provide relief to Canadians: to Quebeckers. We are not in any way proposing that we intrude on provincial jurisdiction, and certainly not on Quebec's provincial jurisdiction.
102 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 10:22:44 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from British Columbia rolls out this often-articulated trope that somehow extreme prices are due to price gouging by the oil companies and retailers. That is nonsense. There is not a shred of evidence to support that.
He did note that oil companies are making windfall profits right now because of the high prices of oil and gas. He is right, but in reality that money is also taxed. It translates into tax revenue that the federal government receives, which is why we have these windfall revenues at the federal level. We believe those, at least in part, should be applied to lifting the GST on gas and diesel.
113 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 10:37:08 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I have a simple answer for my hon. colleague: yes. My colleague from Abbotsford talked about the increases in oil prices, and I just want to add that they have gone up 30% since we came back to the House after the new year. If she thinks that is due to the gouging, which is the word I heard earlier, from the oil companies, she is definitely wrong.
There are profits to be made in this industry, but the biggest one is the taxes that are on the cost of fuel today, and the increase puts a lot more money in the government's coffers than it did in those of the oil companies. That is why we are reasonably asking today for the GST to be taken off of the price of gas. The government has the full authority and mandate to do that overnight.
148 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 11:23:54 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech, although I am definitely at odds with his conclusions. Given the fact that there is an immense amount of tax already on gasoline, would it not make sense to just remove the GST for the folks who do not have an electric car or for those who have to drive great distances? The member mentioned that he took his electric car to Ottawa. I have driven to Ottawa from my riding several times, but I do not think that an electric car would be an efficient way to get here.
For the folks who are not able to afford an electric car or are unable to take public transit, would pulling the GST off not be the minimum we can do to ensure that we are not paying two dollars a litre for gasoline in this country?
147 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 12:27:22 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, that was a great question. A great answer would be, “No.”
Why? It is because we are talking about the GST. We are not talking about the Quebec sales tax.
Why do we have that term in our motion? This is a great question from my colleague. I asked my friends the same question. I asked why we had that in our motion. It is because, when we talked to Revenue Canada, it was explained to us that when we are talking about the GST, we are also talking about the Quebec sales tax. It is to be respectful because, on this side of the House, we do respect the rules and the laws.
To be respectful of the law, we have to include everything, but specifically we are addressing the GST. I can assure everybody, the Conservatives will not interfere with the provincial jurisdiction, compared to the new NDP-Liberal government.
156 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 12:57:00 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, that was more of the repetitive discourse, the government narrative, they want to bring forward, this NDP-Liberal coalition.
The question I have is this. I spoke to Bev this morning. Bev is having a very difficult time. She lives in rural Nova Scotia. As a lot of our members have pointed out, she does not have access to transportation and a mass transit system. She relies on her vehicle to get to doctor's appointments, to buy her groceries and to attend the events she needs to get to and the appointments she needs to have.
The government talks about targeted opportunities. What more targeted and time-limited opportunity could this NDP-Liberal coalition have than to reduce the GST portion of the tax on fuel for Canadians suffering today?
133 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 1:14:03 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, it is really simple. This member, being from Quebec, knows that the province does get some of its gas and energy from outside of Canada. There is going to be a different approach in every different province. For example, if the international price of gas goes up, we are going to be paying more. Again, the issue we ultimately end up with is that whatever that price is gets magnified by the GST. In my home province, the government has been saying for years that it is going to come down on those gouging gas companies. The government has not, because oftentimes it is a competitive marketplace, so what ends up happening is that it finds its natural level. International instability has led to skyrocketing crude prices, which magnify the GST and increase the windfall revenues the current government is having. Let us just let Canadians keep a bit more of their money, whether they are in British Columbia or la belle province.
165 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 2:46:49 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, clearly the government does not care if it makes lives miserable for Canadians. The pocketbooks of Canadians cannot keep up with skyrocketing costs. Just last week the Bank of Canada revealed that the carbon tax alone increased inflation by 0.4%, confirming that this Liberal policy is hurting Canadians. It is a failed policy that is even more costly for those living in rural communities, and it is set to increase.
If the NDP-Liberal government will not abandon the carbon tax, will it at least provide Canadians some immediate relief with a GST holiday on gasoline and diesel?
101 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 3:50:24 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, it has been just a few hours and the member opposite is already starting to sound like he is part of the NDP. We print money here instead of actually making things that money buys. Our rate of inflation is at a record high. Canadians cannot afford gas, groceries or their everyday necessities, and instead of doing the right thing and taking the GST off of gas, which is an actual measure that could reduce the price at the pumps and which the member could do immediately, he just is not.
93 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 4:35:52 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, the member opposite has raised a number of points. First of all, we are not talking about the community development fund and 10% a litre on gasoline. We are talking about the GST. There is crude oil. There are refinery costs. There are taxes: the provincial gas tax and the federal community development fund tax. That is all under the umbrella of the GST.
This is about giving a break to people who are having an incredibly hard time. We are not talking about lowering interest rates or paying for someone's rent. People on the Canada pension plan are going to pay higher amounts on their mortgages. We are talking about giving people a break. The International Energy Agency would disagree with the member when he says that the world is going off different types of oil and gas. As populations go up, they are going to continue to use more of it for the next 10 to 20 years at least.
Will the member say that the very least we can do here is give Canadians a true break and put a little more money in their jeans so they can cope with the cost of living that is increasing in this country?
207 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 4:52:10 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I feel my Conservative friends' motion is primarily about supporting the oil companies.
There are a whole host of measures that could be taken to combat inflation. The current climate emergency must also be a priority. We therefore need to find ways to move toward energies of the future and fight inflation in all sorts of other ways. I would love to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
I would also like to say that federal government does not have the authority to change the QST in Quebec or the GST in the rest of Canada. That falls under provincial jurisdiction.
105 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 4:55:39 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, on this side of the House, we understand that budgets simply do not balance themselves. It does not matter whether it is a government budget or a household budget, it is worth mentioning that we understand that budgets do not balance themselves. It takes work and effort.
Right now Canadian families and individuals across this country are having a hard time making ends meet. I have heard many members in the chamber add their thoughts and arguments to the debate today. Some have been constructive and others not so much, but it is worth clarifying a couple of facts.
GST on fuel is a tax on a tax. The price of gasoline is determined by a competitive market and one of the key components in that price is the price of crude oil and the refinery costs. When crude oil prices go up, the cost of gasoline typically ends up following. Then there are the federal gasoline tax, the provincial sales tax, the provincial gasoline tax and the carbon tax. That price, with all of those taxes, is then taxed by GST on the whole. Effectively, when the cost of gasoline increases, the amount of GST collected continues to increase.
What we are witnessing right now across our country is among the highest inflation rates in a generation. Compared to last year alone, we have seen increases in inflation of 5.7%. That means that the cost to get household goods and services has increased, but wages have stayed stagnant. There are statistics and figures showing that groceries are costing the average family of four an additional $1,000 a year.
I do not know about anyone else, but I talk to a lot of constituents and families throughout my riding of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake and they let me know that they do not have an extra $1,000 to put toward groceries, they really do not. They are struggling, and they need relief. They need relief today. This is part of why this motion was put forward, to put a small, yet meaningful, pause on the GST collected on gasoline to provide families with a little hope and a bit of relief.
It is worth noting that currently 53% of Canadians have said they have a hard time making ends meet already due to the rising prices of everything. Every time gasoline goes up, the cost of everything increases because it has a sort of escalator tax on it. I live very far north in Alberta, the furthest north one can get at least in a car, and people there pay more than what people further south pay.
For instance, when I filled up my gas tank this weekend, it was $1.659. In Edmonton, a big city that is four and a half hours away, it was $1.559. That is a difference of 10¢ a litre and is worth noting. Every time someone travels somewhere and gasoline costs more, the fixed costs are more. If we talk about food, the prices increase. If we talk about just about anything, the business owner has a choice of either raising the price of goods or decreasing their profits. That is a real, hard fact.
This very issue was seen in my home province of Alberta. It announced that it was going to stop collecting a fuel tax effective April 1 when West Texas Intermediate exceeds $80 U.S. a barrel. It will result in a reduction of 13¢ a litre on clear fuel and 4¢ a litre on dyed fuel. While this does not solve the problem of inflation by any means, it is a small, meaningful difference that people will see at the gas pumps that will help them make ends meet today.
That is the real difference here. I have heard many of my colleagues mention longer-term projects, but what they are failing to understand is that many families are failing to make ends meet right now, today, each and every day. This is something that we really have to put into play.
In my riding, I jokingly say that everything starts at three hours. It is three hours from my community of Fort McMurray to get to the next closest community, which is Lac La Biche. It is four and a half hours by vehicle to get from Fort McMurray to Edmonton. Many people all throughout my riding constantly have to go to Edmonton for medical appointments and a variety of different specialized appointments, just because of the locality and the isolation of the region.
I think that this is a piece that perhaps not all members necessarily understand. We do not really have a choice in my riding to take a bus to get to most places. Unfortunately, that transit, similar to what some of the members have shared, in those rural ridings is not necessarily always an option. Families in my riding are being faced with the very real struggle of whether they fill up their gas tank so they can drive to work, drive their kids to school, get groceries and get to appointments, or heat their homes and keep their lights on.
Effectively, families should not be pushed into this decision where they are having to make those choices. I do not think that families really care whether global supply chains are the reason why the costs have gone up. I do not think they really care that it is due to a war in Ukraine. What they see is a harder time to make the two ends meet, and they are asking for help. I had countless conversations with constituents over the last couple of weeks, where they were just telling me that they really could use just a little bit of a hand-up. That is exactly what this motion puts forward. It offers a hand-up to constituents to give them that little bit of relief.
I was doing some calculations and I have a conservative estimate that an average vehicle that has about 65 litres in its tank will see a savings of about $5.20 per fill-up. That five dollars might not be a big deal to some, but when I was filling up with gas over the constituency weeks, I could see a constituent and they were only putting $10 into their tank. That is all they had. They could only put $10 into their tank. I was not sure where they were even planning to go in Fort McMurray with $10 in their tank. I think this is part of the concern here. They want to keep their fridges stocked, their lights on and their gas tanks full, and I think this is the very least we can do right now.
The government is actually profiting on increased gas prices in countless ways, so we are offering a simple solution to allow consumers to have just a little bit of relief, so that they too can have some of that back in their pockets so that they can make those choices as to whether they want, perhaps, a little bit of a treat and go out to the movies or something along those lines. It has been a long couple of years where we have not been able to do those things and now that they finally are able to travel and now that they finally are able to go visit, they cannot afford to because gas is so expensive.
This is something that the members opposite might laugh at, but it is four and a half hours to get to Edmonton from Fort McMurray. That is a long distance and there is not a train. There are only a few flights a day that are even an option and flights are exponentially more expensive.
What they are looking for is just a little tiny bit of relief. I would implore all members of the House to keep in mind that family that is struggling and needs that extra five dollars or $10 in their pocket, and work with us. Let us work to make life a little bit more affordable for Canadians because, quite frankly, they really could use it.
1375 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/22/22 5:06:31 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.
You stated earlier today that this motion was one option, but it certainly is not because we cannot support it. Furthermore, the House cannot cut the GST or the HST in Canada. The House can adopt any motion it wants, but it is unable to take action in that regard.
You spoke about your riding; mine is enormous—
68 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
