SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 105

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 29, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 105 - Sep/29/22
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
  • Sep/29/22 2:36:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the challenges facing Canadians on affordability are extremely important. That is why the government has acted to, for example, double the GST tax rebate to provide relief for Canadians who are struggling with inflation, which is a global concern. With respect to the price on pollution, the hon. member knows full well that the rebates that are provided to the vast majority of families in this country are more than they actually pay. I would suggest to my colleague, who comes from the same province as me, British Columbia, that the price on pollution in British Columbia is a British Columbia-made price on pollution. It was implemented long before the federal system, because British Columbia was a leader in fighting climate change.
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Context: House Hansard - 105 - Sep/29/22
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
  • Sep/29/22 2:37:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to the hon. member that if he has a problem with the fact that British Columbia does not rebate the money back, he should have a conversation with Premier Horgan. At the end of the day, the rebate system that is in place wherever the federal backstop is in place provides more money back to people than they actually pay. The vast majority of Canadian households receive more money back. With respect to his point about not reducing emissions, I suggest he look at some of the academic studies, including one from Duke University, which show that it actually does reduce carbon emissions.
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Context: House Hansard - 105 - Sep/29/22
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
  • Sep/29/22 2:38:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would say that certainly the issues of affordability are extremely important to every member in this House and to all Canadians. That is why the government has acted to address affordability issues. With respect to some of the statements regarding the price on pollution, I suggest that the hon. member do a bit more homework. There are 45-plus countries around the world that have implemented a price on pollution. Virtually every academic study tells us that it is the most effective and efficient way to reduce emissions. In Canada, emissions dropped by 9% in the last reported study, so what she is saying in the House is simply not true.
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Context: House Hansard - 105 - Sep/29/22
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
  • Sep/29/22 2:55:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, certainly the issue of affordability for Canadians is one that concerns every member of the House. This government has acted to ensure that we are addressing the affordability issue. With respect to the price on pollution, if we asked 100 economists, 99 will tell us that it is the most efficient way to reduce emissions and incent innovation. It is a market-based approach. Market-based mechanisms are something the Conservative Party used to believe in and, certainly as recently as 10 months ago, every member on that side of the House campaigned on putting into place a price on pollution.
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Context: House Hansard - 105 - Sep/29/22
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
  • Sep/29/22 2:56:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians expect their leaders of all political stripes to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We certainly have to address affordability pressures while we concurrently continue to address the existential threat that is climate change. We need to take into account the cost of inaction. A report released yesterday said that the cost of not acting would be up to $25 billion per year by 2025 and $100 billion by 2050, with 500,000 jobs lost. Taking action on climate change is about addressing affordability for Canadians, particularly for younger Canadians.
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