44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 26, 2023 02:00PM
- Apr/26/23 3:24:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to table with the House page 3 of the Parliamentary Budget Officer's latest carbon tax report, which shows the carbon tax will cost Canadians more than they get back in rebates. Because we know this is factual, we know we will have unanimous support.
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- Apr/26/23 7:17:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am happy to take to my feet, and I have some follow-up questions about the Minister of Environment 's carbon tax scam, which has now been shown by the Parliamentary Budget Officer to take more money out of Canadians' pockets than the rebates put back in.
I have a few questions. I hope the parliamentary secretary does not need to read prepared notes on this one. Does he agree with the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who stated that Canadians are going to receive less in rebates than they are going to pay out in carbon tax?
Does he agree with his environment minister, who stated that same fact on a popular TV show when he said that it is true Canadians are going to pay more in carbon tax than they are going to receive back in rebates? Actually, some Canadians are going to pay between $1,500 and $1,800 more in 2030 than they are going to receive in rebates, which is something the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed in his latest report. I would like to hear the answers to that.
We have had this discussion about the carbon tax over the years in this chamber, and when I was a member of the legislative assembly, we also ran against the carbon tax in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, a lot of people do not have any choice but to drive their own vehicles. They have to drive in rural and remote Saskatchewan on farms. People use their vehicles to get to and from work. There are no other options, as there are in urban Canada. Some of the people I represent see this as a wealth transfer from rural Saskatchewan to urban Saskatchewan.
How do the rural people feel in Nova Scotia? My sister is from Halifax. I know that, in Dartmouth, there are people who need to travel a lot to and from work. What are their options if there is no public transportation? Has the parliamentary secretary heard from his constituents that they are paying a lot more in carbon tax than they are getting back?
He is shaking his head “no”, but I am wondering if there are some people in Nova Scotia who have that feeling. Some members on our side say they have had conversations with people in Nova Scotia who feel the carbon tax has taken more out of their pockets than they are getting back.
We had the conversation around the supply chain and grocery stores. Obviously, when one charges more for fuel, anything that is trucked is going to cost more. Groceries have gone up through both inflation and the carbon tax.
Winters in Saskatchewan get pretty cold, and the same happens in Nova Scotia. Home heating costs have gone up exponentially because of the carbon tax. We know that in 2030, the gas tax, or the carbon tax, is going to be 41¢ a litre in this country. If the Liberals and the NDP do not think that is going to affect the price of anything that is trucked into our country, where it is going to hit the consumer harder than anyone else, they are fooling themselves.
We will continue to fight against the carbon tax scam. Once again, these are a few questions I have, which the parliamentary secretary should be able to answer without reading from his prepared notes from the PMO.
How does the carbon tax affect his people in Nova Scotia? Does he agree with his environment minister, who, after years of saying people are going to receive more in rebates, finally admitted the truth on national TV, that Canadians are going to pay more in the carbon tax scam than they are ever going to get back? Those are a couple of the follow-up questions I have for my hon. colleague.
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- Apr/26/23 7:21:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think the member probably should have had some prepared comments, because everything he just spouted was basically wrong. There is no carbon tax in Nova Scotia yet and there is no price on pollution in Nova Scotia yet. How can he be speaking to constituents in Halifax and Dartmouth about the impact of something that does not exist? However, I will move along.
It is hard to dot an i and cross a t for someone who says he has been fighting against the carbon tax when, in 2021, he campaigned on it. It was in his platform. I have a copy in my office. He knocked on doors, asking his constituents to vote for him based on what was in that platform. It is hard to cross that t and dot that i.
We know Canadians are facing a really difficult time right now, which is why we will continue to be there for them, investing in them responsibly so they can make it through these tough times and get to the brighter future ahead.
Far be it for the member to agree to this, but climate change is real. It is happening. It is a huge issue, the biggest issue, but it is the biggest opportunity of our lifetime. The latest science warns that to avoid severe impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced significantly and urgently to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C. I knocked on doors too. Canadians want and expect real action on climate change.
The member can stand and say Canadians do not want a price on pollution, but the Conservatives have lost three elections in a row. What do Canadians want? They want action on climate change. Clearly, the member is not listening to what Canadians are saying when, for three elections in a row, his party has been on that side of the House. It is going to be a fourth. It is going to be a frustrating time for Conservatives to sit on that side for a fourth time because they do not understand that Canadians want real action on climate change.
I will take the word of our environment minister any day of the week over someone who one day says he does not support a price on pollution and in the next election says that his platform says he believes in it. What about the next election? They probably will not believe in it. Who knows? Fifty-five per cent of the grassroots members of the Conservative Party of Canada said climate change is not even real. I am glad to say that Canadians do not agree, and they showed that in the election.
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- Apr/26/23 7:23:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I wish the member had read from his prepared notes, because everything he said was untrue.
First, I wish he would find a piece of literature that said I ran on a carbon tax in my riding. That would be interesting to see.
Second, if the member agrees with his environment minister, then he agrees that people are going to pay more in the carbon tax than they are going to get back, because that is what the environment minister said. It is nice that he finally agrees with the Conservatives.
Third, most people understand that we have to do something about climate change, but the hilarious part is the Liberals have never met a target they have made. They are 58th in the world in reducing emissions. That is a fact. That is from the recent COP. The fact that they think this carbon tax scam is actually going to lower emissions is false, and they should stop spreading misinformation to Canadians.
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