So V ote

Nov/2/23 4:38:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that question gives me an opportunity to set the record straight here. When the carbon tax was originally brought in in B.C., it was a revenue-neutral tax. There were no extra funds going into the government coffers. When an NDP government was elected in B.C., that carbon tax became a revenue generator. It is no longer revenue-neutral. The government makes money off it. Will the member back up what his NDP provincial premier has stated, which is that this should be fair and equitable in all regions of the country, as we are proposing in our motion?

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Nov/2/23 4:36:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that question is very pertinent, and I am really glad the member asked the question. What we are going to do is not take the money out of Canadians' pockets in the first place. If it is not taken in the first place, it does not have to be provided back as an incentive or enticement to vote Liberal in the future. Why would Liberals take money out of the pockets of Canadians only to give it back? It only creates more bureaucracy within a government that is just so corrupt and so wasteful that we have to put an end to it.

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Nov/2/23 4:25:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup. It is always an honour to rise as the representative for the amazing people and spectacular region of North Okanagan—Shuswap. It is also an honour to rise to speak to the Conservative opposition day motion that is in front of us today, which is, “That, given that the government has announced a ‘temporary, three-year pause’ to the federal carbon tax on home heating oil, the House call on the government to extend that pause to all forms of home heating.” Winter has started in our nation, and Canadians are having to pay more than ever to heat their homes. Heating our home is not a luxury; it is essential for survival, and that is an important point that the Liberal regime and its NDP enablers wilfully and recklessly ignore. In the past week, we saw an admission from the Liberal-NDP government that the federal carbon tax is hurting Canadians and their homes. However, the Liberals' token partial deferral of federal carbon tax in predominantly Liberal regions is unacceptable. I cannot recall an instance when the federal government acted in such a divisive, cynical and self-interested way by relieving pain inflicted by the government for some, but not for all. Too many members of the House continue to ignore or deny the hurt being inflicted by the Liberal-NDP coalition, so let me share with everyone how the hurt has recently been described to me by a constituent, who said that the more that Canadian families are forced to pay for necessities of basic survival, like home heating, the less they have to pay for other basic or essential expenses, such as groceries and clothes for their kids. These are the realities, and if the Liberals are serious about reducing the pain experienced by Canadians, then they must start by recognizing the problem. The Conservative motion before the House today proposes a solution for the pain inflicted on Canadians by the Liberal government. The motion’s proposal is inclusive of all Canadians, not exclusive to the chosen few, the 3%. Not only is this common-sense motion reasonable, universal and fair, but it is also essential, because it would directly support the ability of all Canadians to meet the essential need of heating their homes. Canadians struggling to keep the heat on are watching and will be watching when members vote on the motion next week. I will read the motion again so it is very clear what we are debating here today and what we will vote on next week: “That, given that the government has announced a 'temporary, three-year pause' to the federal carbon tax on home heating oil, the House call on the government to extend that pause to all forms of home heating.” As the NDP-Liberal coalition and Bloc collaborators continue to deny carbon tax pain, the Governor of the Bank of Canada has clearly stated that the carbon tax is adding to the devastating inflation affecting the lives of Canadians, especially low-income Canadians, who are being hit the hardest. The member for Northumberland—Peterborough South recently asked Mr. Macklem what the effect on inflation would be if the federal carbon tax were removed. Mr. Macklem confirmed that removing the carbon tax would, in fact, achieve a much-needed reduction of inflation. He went on to state the following: “[I]t is the most vulnerable members of [our] society who are suffering...from high inflation. They are feeling the brunt of affordability more than everybody else. They can't just move [down the market]. They're already at the bottom of the market. Much of their spending is already on necessities. You can't cut back on that. That's why it is so important that we get inflation down. Inflation is a tax that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of [our] society.” We know that the carbon tax is adding to inflation, which is adding to the cost of living, which is in turn adding to the number of young families, single parents, seniors and many others having to make the choice between heating and eating. I hear from Canadians in the North Okanagan—Shuswap about how food banks are struggling to keep up with demand and how businesses are trying to balance their books to avoid going under. Small business owners are forced to dip into their savings in an effort to avoid laying off workers. I would like to share a couple of recent emails from good people at home who are struggling under the inflationary load forced on them by the NDP-Liberal government. This one came in just today from an entrepreneurial couple in Salmon Arm: “Mel, well, let’s talk about sticker shock. We purchased fuel for the generation of power electricity today. Kind of hard to run solar or electricity on a gravel screening plant. Carbon tax of $294.59 and $149.04 for GST. Pretty darn sure that is part of the problem why many of our fellow small business people are facing bankruptcy. Sincerely, taxed to death constituents, Peter & Anne.” That is over $400 just on one tank of fuel so they can run their plant. That fuel would have been used to clean gravel to build roads, homes and farms, and the carbon tax will compound each transaction and add to the cost of all those operations that are needed so badly for people to move, have a home and have food to eat. This message is from Ed: “Look at house insurance, property tax, heating fuel and electrical with carbon tax, auto fuel cost, home repair costs. Look at furnace replacement, in 2018 the cost was 5,000 and the same furnace in my kid’s home was quoted by the same contractor at 10,000. What senior could save an additional 5,000 in 4 years when they can’t make ends meet. Heat pumps, 4,500 to 11,000 in 4 years. Again, no senior could afford this should they have a breakdown.” These are messages I am getting and I am sure many MPs are getting because of the NDP-Liberal government's policies. The Prime Minister is choosing once again to divide Canadians. Instead of every Canadian feeling proud of being part of one country and pulling in the same direction, we have a Prime Minister who is pitting one group of Canadians against all others. His plan to temporarily pause the carbon tax on home heating will apply only to 3% of Canadians, while 97% are left out in the cold to figure out whether they can afford heating or eating. Even the NDP Premier of British Columbia has said that while people in Atlantic Canada are struggling to make ends meet, so are residents in B.C. He went one to say, “At a minimum, fairness demands equal treatment of British Columbians. People struggling with affordability around home heating face the same struggle in B.C. It's not a distinct or different struggle.” In the neighbouring province with abundant, clean-burning natural gas, which, by the way, will receive no carbon tax exemption anywhere in Canada, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages has a suggestion for Albertans angry with his Liberal government’s special treatment of Atlantic Canada over the carbon tax. He said that Canadians could always switch their natural gas furnaces for heat pumps instead. However, now what is being exposed is that insurance companies do not want homeowners to install heat pumps in locations where winter temperatures fall below -20°C. That is about 85% of Canada's land mass. The Liberal cabinet minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency really took Atlantic opportunities to heart last weekend when she said, “[The Liberal Atlantic] caucus was vocal with what they've heard from their constituents, and perhaps they need to elect more Liberals in the Prairies so that we can have that conversation as well.” Conservatives have a better opportunity for Canadians. Instead of dividing Canadians like the Liberals do, a Conservative government would axe the carbon tax for good to make life affordable for all Canadians, not just for the ones who vote Liberal.

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Context: House Hansard - 236 - Oct/20/23

Nov/2/23 4:04:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, why is it that only a chosen few of the Liberal-NDP coalition are up speaking today? It is a very chosen few, much like this movement it has to only choose a few who will benefit from this carbon tax relief. We do not see the member for Calgary Skyview or members from Atlantic Canada and northern Saskatchewan speaking today. Why is it that only a chosen few are getting up to speak?

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Context: House Hansard - 204 - Jun/1/23

Oct/20/23 11:09:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal government knew carbon tax 2 would increase the cost of energy and disproportionately impact low- and middle-income Canadians, yet it is imposing the tax anyway. Carbon taxes 1 and 2 will add 61¢ per litre to the price of fuel, and because of the government's punishing fuel taxes, we are already seeing fuel prices in B.C. at over two dollars per litre. After eight long years of inflationary spending and failing policies, even Liberal MPs are speaking out against the carbon tax. Those Liberal MPs are realizing that when we tax Brad, the farmer who grows the food, tax Rob, who transports the food, and tax Joanne, who has to drive to buy the food, the food becomes too expensive. It is no wonder 60% more Canadians per month are expected to use food banks in 2023. After eight years, it is even more clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

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Context: House Hansard - 203 - Jun/1/23

Jun/1/23 12:50:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask the hon. member about the relevance of her speech. All she has spoken about here is budget 2023; she has said nothing in relation to the order of the day, the—

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Context: House Hansard - 203 - Jun/1/23

Jun/1/23 12:17:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am glad the member pointed out that there is going to be money going back to Canadians, because that is what it is. It is money going back to Canadians who have already paid it out. They have paid it to the government. That is the only way the government has money to give to Canadians, by taxing it out of Canadians' back pockets. Therefore, the parliamentary secretary has pointed out the major flaw with what they are doing here. The Liberals are simply taking taxpayer dollars to run their bad spending habits, then giving a little of it back. It just does not make any sense. Why has the country not taken real, concrete steps to export our clean natural gas to countries that are burning coal and other dirty fuels?

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Context: House Hansard - 116 - Oct/24/22

Jun/1/23 12:10:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am here tonight, after midnight, for this adjournment debate as a result of another non-answer from the government side. When I originally rose in question period, the government member's response to the question at that time was some non-answer about much money people in the member's province were going to get back of the money that his government had previously taxed from them, and then some incoherent words about conspiracy theories and cryptocurrency. Since I posed that initial question, we have learned that the minister plans to add carbon tax 2.0 to the backs of Canadian taxpayers. This new carbon tax will add an additional 17¢ per litre to the current tax, and with the sales tax on the carbon taxes, it will mean up to 61¢ per litre as a result of carbon taxes, another burden that Canadians are being forced to bear to pay for the government’s overspending habit. The second carbon tax will cost the average Canadian household $573 per year, without any rebate, costing some families in some provinces as much as $1,157. These numbers are from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. I want to put this into perspective. It has been 15 years since a carbon tax was implemented in B.C., a tax that initially started at 2.41¢ per litre. It originally started out as a revenue-neutral tax; the revenues would go directly toward reducing personal income taxes. That was until an NDP government decided the B.C. carbon tax would no longer be revenue-neutral, but would instead go into general revenue to help pay for the NDP government’s overspending habit. I think the members listening will see the similarities here in establishing a small tax initially, gradually turning up the heat, hoping people would be distracted by other crises, and then using those tax dollars to pay for bad spending habits. Once more, we have evidence of the indistinguishable ideologies of the Liberals and the NDP, as such, the NDP-Liberal coalition we are currently dealing with, which is making Canadians pay for the government’s bad spending habit. I am sure the Liberal member will come back with some comment about how the carbon tax and carbon tax 2.0 are somehow going to prevent wildfires or flooding, but they have yet to show how that is going to be accomplished. The government has failed to meet any emissions targets, and instead of facilitating the export of cleaner Canadian natural gas to high-emissions countries, they have left those countries to seek out coal and other dirty energy sources from countries with poor environmental and human rights standards, a poor, if not failed, record at best. Will the government take control of its bad spending habit, stop pushing higher taxes on Canadians, who are already struggling under its inflationary policies, and cancel the planned tax increases?

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Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

Oct/24/22 2:06:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford the costly coalition between the NDP and Liberals. As winter descends on Canada, Canadians are being warned that the average price of home heating will rise between 50% and 100% this winter. Some Canadians could see home heating bills bloat by 300%. Canadians who heat with natural gas, electricity, propane or even wood pellets are going to see home heating bills take a bigger chunk out of their budgets every month, leaving less for food for the dinner table. The Liberal-NDP plan to triple the carbon tax is making matters worse for Canadians with no alternatives for heating their homes. Again, the Conservatives cannot afford the costly Liberal-NDP coalition and the government's insatiable hunger for taxes, and its infliction of hunger and cold on Canadians. As winter arrives in Canada, our new Conservative leader and the Conservative caucus are standing up for Canadians by fighting the Liberal-NDP plan to tax hungry people out into the cold.

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