44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 20, 2023 02:00PM
- Sep/20/23 2:19:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, instead of celebrating this harvest season, farmers across Canada are shuddering at the thought of their first carbon tax bill. When the NDP-Liberal government triples the carbon tax, farmers will be forced to pay $150,000 in additional taxes, all for the crime of working hard to feed this country. The NDP-Liberal government's punitive tax is felt all the way from the farmer who grows the food and the trucker who moves it to the Canadian who eats the food if they can afford it. Onions are up 60%, cabbage is up 70%, carrots are up 74% and even potatoes are up 68%.
After eight years under the current Prime Minister, families will pay more than $16,000 more for groceries this year alone. With food banks lined up out the door, from Victoria-by-the-Sea, Prince Edward Island, to Victoria, British Columbia, Thanksgiving is going to be tough. The NDP-Liberal tax is truly farm to table, and the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
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- Sep/20/23 2:54:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was at the International Plowing Match, which was in my riding, and I spoke with farmers from all across Canada. What is their number one concern? It is the carbon tax.
Whether it is drying grain or driving their combine, the carbon tax is crushing Canadian farmers. When farmers pay more, Canadians pay more at the grocery store.
After eight years of paying more, Canadians cannot afford the Liberal government. Will it come to its senses and axe the tax?
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- Sep/20/23 2:55:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, being a farmer, I understand the trouble and difficulties farmers have. Imagine going to a potato field and having to take a bulldozer to pull the potato harvest.
Out in the Prairies, there is not enough rain to grow a crop. Fiona blew our barns down and it killed our dairy cattle. It blew the wharves to pieces.
That is why we, as a government, have invested in climate change and will continue to invest to make sure that farmers and the country itself can grow crops and have fishing and harbours.
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- Sep/20/23 2:56:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I represent a rural riding too, and what the member does not get is that farmers believe in climate change and they want to help fight it. I spent the summer with my community listening to their concerns and I heard them loud and clear. Affordability is a major issue and we are reminded harshly, through the—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Sep/20/23 2:57:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberal agriculture minister claims that farmers support the carbon tax. How out of touch can a minister be? Only 2% of Canadian farmers think the Liberals even support agriculture, because they know that the Prime Minister is unaffordable.
Farmers cannot afford to pay close to $1 billion in carbon taxes. They cannot afford it when diesel goes up 70¢ a litre. They cannot afford to pay more in fertilizer and feed and higher interest rates.
Does the Liberal agriculture minister truly support quadrupling the carbon tax on farmers, truckers and processors, knowing the consequences mean higher food prices for Canadians?
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- Sep/20/23 2:58:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that farmers are fully aware of what is taking place in this country.
Hurricane Fiona blew down their barns and killed their cattle. Temperatures went to 50 below zero and extreme winds were over 200 kilometres an hour, blowing everything to pieces. Farmers fully understand that that adds costs to everything.
That is why the Liberal government has continued and will continue to invest in climate change and to stand with our farmers.
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- Sep/20/23 3:12:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, farmers in northern B.C. have been hit hard by extreme drought, another symptom of the worsening climate crisis. Hay harvests are down as much as 90%, and many farmers are struggling to feed their animals. We are seeing herds sold off, and we are seeing family farms lost.
For months we have been calling on the government to provide support to source hay from other parts of Canada and the United States. Local governments and the provincial government are waiting, and farmers are waiting for the minister to finally come to the table. How long will they have to wait?
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- Sep/20/23 3:13:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question and fully understand the stress farmers are under. As he is fully aware, his provincial government in B.C. has sent the papers to my department. We are analyzing the situation, and as soon as that is done, we will make sure the farmers are compensated. This is what the business risk management plans are for: to make sure we help farmers in difficult situations. We will continue to do so.
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