SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 264

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 264 - Dec/7/23
Mr. Earl Dreeshen (Red Deer—Mountain View, CPC)
  • Dec/7/23 2:13:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House and speak about some very pressing matters. Times are hard for Canadians. A new food report out today shows that Canadians will be paying an extra $700 next year to feed their families. The Senate amendment to Bill C-234, which would have provided farm families with a much-needed break from the carbon tax, now has its passage in limbo after the Prime Minister lobbied his appointed senators in order to protect his minister. The Prime Minister could not care less about how his policies have created two classes of Canadians, those who pay the carbon tax and those who do not. First nations are taking the government to court, arguing that the carbon pricing regime of the Prime Minister unjustly and disproportionately impacts their communities and that they will be worse off. It is time to take the carbon tax off farmers, first nations and families. After eight years of the Prime Minister, it is time for common-sense Conservative government. The Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.
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Context: House Hansard - 264 - Dec/7/23
Mr. Earl Dreeshen (Red Deer—Mountain View, CPC)
  • Dec/7/23 5:08:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise today, especially to speak on behalf of farmers, first nations and families. The members of the Liberal-NDP government are completely out of touch with the real needs of Canadians. Their blind, ideological obsession has increased the price of groceries for a family of four by over $700, bringing the total family cost to over $16,000. Ontario first nations are seeking a judicial review of the federal government's carbon pricing regime, arguing that Ottawa's pollution pricing policy unjustly and disproportionately burdens their communities. Farmers continue to be handcuffed by an embedded carbon tax on farm inputs that unfairly affects their bottom line and affects their competitiveness within the global agricultural market. Farming and farmers across this country have unique obstacles through which they must navigate. Those farmers who do not face competition from foreign food suppliers tend to be able to pass some of the added expenses onto the consumer but costs like fuel, fertilizer, herbicides, seed, labour, transportation, capital costs, interest and property taxes cause many sleepless nights for farmers. Another item that many businesses would factor in is profit; however, that is never guaranteed in farming. While we are discussing competitiveness, if we look to our friends in Australia, who have axed the tax in favour of a direct action policy, where investment dollars are available, the competitiveness is creating new technology and achieving targets without taxing citizens and businesses. Canadian farmers, first nations, and small and medium-sized businesses in Canada are grappling with a competitiveness problem because of these restrictive and harmful Liberal-NDP coalition policies. We see this competitive disadvantage compared to our international allies that do not have a carbon tax, like the United States. We see Canadian companies that have developed clean technology or telecommunications achievements leaving Canada because they cannot gain funding to scale business for American investors who are backed by more flexible government policies. Canadian competitiveness is also hampered by the government's lack of cohesive policies to counter China and the supply chain issue. We have heard over and over how the Liberal-NDP coalition believes Canada needs to produce domestic critical minerals, but the action lags behind their desire in this area. We are ever more reliant on China and its network of critical mineral mines around the world to produce things like EV batteries. We are seeing the highest level of food bank use. We are seeing food report after food report showing grocery prices on the rise. The increasing input costs for products, global events and rising production costs have contributed to these price increases. Something that I want to come back to is the fact that first nations in Ontario are seeking a judicial review of the Liberal-NDP carbon pricing regime. They disclosed in court documents the adverse effect that carbon taxes had on their communities. In a Globe and Mail article, they noted that the carbon price violates the principles of reconciliation and their constitutional rights. They also disclosed that they tried to negotiate with the coalition government. Why were they not able to reach an agreement? It is no secret that the carbon price rebate is tied to one's income. As the Ontario chiefs noted, “many First Nations members living on reserves do not pay income tax and cannot access the rebates”. That is another example of the coalition government developing policy that is restrictive and built in a box, instead of something that is adaptive and that would consider the challenges that first nations face on reserve. There is a pan-Canadian ripple effect of the carbon pricing regime the Liberal-NDP coalition is pushing. The cost is downloaded onto consumers, products and services, but now the government wants Canadians to dig a little deeper and really give up their last red cent. These destructive policies are having a profound impact on Canadians' ability to balance their budget, make ends meet and put food on their tables. Coming back to the food price report released today, it paints a bleak picture of struggling Canadians. Food costs will rise anywhere from 2.5% to 4.5% this year. The average family of four is expected to spend $16,297 on groceries in 2024. Canadians are reducing the amount they are spending on groceries. Between 2022 and 2023, Canadians reduced the amount they spent in food and beverage retail by 3.26%. The reason is they have a lot of other bills they have to pay. Canadians are being forced to supplement or totally use food banks, and the government has failed to realize that its destructive policies directly impact the struggles of Canadians, first nations and farmers. Speaking of farmers, right now I am farmer and have a lot experience in this regard. I am very concerned about what happened in the Senate, as we know that farmers feed communities and provide the commodities we need to advance our food security at times when they are needed.
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