Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, another budget, and the Trudeau government still plans to triple the carbon tax that is crushing Canada’s farmers and consumers. It’s set to rise again on Saturday — fittingly, April Fool’s Day.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business tells us that this year, more than $8 billion will be collected from small businesses in carbon tax, and only $35 million of it will be returned in rebates. “The Food Professor,” Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, wrote in a column today that small agri-food business owners are also really feeling the squeeze. He said that, as a result:

. . . by 2030, the carbon tax will potentially become a much more significant driver of food inflation than climate change itself.

Senator Gold, when will this Trudeau government axe the carbon tax so that Canadians can afford to eat?

Senator Batters: Senator Gold, one in five Canadians are skipping meals because they simply can’t afford to eat. Prime Minister Trudeau’s inflationary spending is a major factor, and now he is cranking up the carbon tax that hits not only Canadian farmers but also agri-food businesses and will further drive up food prices for every Canadian consumer. Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 predicts that a family of four will spend more than $1,000 extra on food this year, almost $600 more than the GST credit they would get. No matter how you slice it, it just doesn’t cut it.

Last week, Minister Wilkinson actually referred to the carbon tax as an affordability measure. Clearly, he hasn’t lived in Saskatchewan for a very long time.

Why doesn’t the Trudeau government save its pennies-on-the-dollar rebates and instead axe the carbon tax to give Canadians real relief on their grocery bills?