Lethbridge Herald: Axe Fuel Taxes to Give Canadians a Summer Break

There is nothing like summer in Canada. Taking a road trip to Calgary to enjoy the zoo, camping out under the stars in Waterton, or spending the day in Writing-on-Stone National Park are just a few of the summer activities many of us enjoy each year. Summer is when memories are made as Canadians take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

These moments are precious, especially as we experience challenging times. Sadly, the reality is that Canadians are struggling to afford basic necessities, let alone a summer vacation.

This is why my Conservative colleagues and I are fighting to bring back the fun of summer.

We are calling on the federal government to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day to give Canadians a break. The move would suspend the carbon tax, the excise tax, and the GST on fuels, which would lower gas prices by 35.6 cents per litre on average.

I continuously hear from people in the community who are struggling to make ends meet. Due to inflation and taxation, the cost of living is rising, and it is causing the chasm between the rich and the poor to widen. Prime Minister Trudeau promised to grow “the middle class,” but in reality, his policies are making it more and more difficult for Canadians to afford food and shelter, let alone make financial gains.

Families will have to pay $700 more for food this year than they did in 2023. Food banks are finding it difficult to keep up with the level of demand on their doorstep. One of the biggest changes over the last few years is the rise in use by those who are employed and normally able to get by.

In the middle of this historic cost-of-living crisis, Trudeau and his NDP coalition partners decided to hike the carbon tax by 23 per cent. This is just one step in his plan to quadruple the carbon tax over the next six years, making everything more expensive at the worst possible time.

Taxes on gas and diesel are making everything unaffordable. In fact, since Trudeau took office, fuel prices have surged by more than 50 per cent. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has been clear that most families will pay more on the carbon tax than they receive in the rebate. Our own province suffers from the highest rate of carbon tax, costing the average Albertan family $2,943 per year.

Taking a grassroots approach in government is critical for creating legislation that aligns with those who call Canada home. 70 per cent of Canadians oppose the carbon tax and its damaging effects. Despite this overwhelming opposition to the carbon tax, the Liberal government refuses to scrap it, showing complete disregard for the will of the people.

Distain for the carbon tax is shared by 70 per cent of premiers too. Recently, Conservatives moved a motion to have the Prime Minister meet with provincial leaders to discuss the carbon tax and its detrimental impacts. Although the motion passed, Trudeau has refused to give them an hour of his time. This is just one example of the Liberal government’s out-of-touch policies that are harming families.

Canadians deserve better.

A break from extreme taxation on gas and diesel could save the average family $670 over the summer. And to pay for it, Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to cut back on the $21 billion they spend on overpriced consultants.

Conservatives will axe the tax on everything for everyone in a carbon tax election, but until that can happen, Trudeau must adopt our common-sense measure to give Canadians a summer break.

The Prime Minister might be able to fly off to a luxury resort for a $230,000 taxpayer-funded vacation, but most families are being forced to scale back or cancel their road trips thanks to Trudeau’s out-of-touch inflationary spending and increased taxation.

Canadians deserve relief, not more taxes.

Lethbridge Herald: Canadians are not Fooled by Trudeau’s Empty Promises

Have you ever heard of a snake oil salesman?

The term originated in the 1900s from an infamous impostor who sold snake oil as a miracle medicine. It turns out the supposed “snake oil” was just a concoction of mineral oil, beef fat, red pepper, and turpentine.

It was not at all a remedy for sick people.

The con artist was eventually exposed in 1917, and he became a powerful symbol of warning against false advertising.

When looking at the Liberals’ 2024 budget, it is difficult not to think of a snake oil salesman.

On April 16th, the Liberals announced they will be strapping another $40 billion in new deficit spending to the backs of Canadians, which makes this the nineth year in a row that Mr. Trudeau has run deficits, while claiming the budget will balance itself.

Trudeau continues to claim families will be better off with more government spending—but we know this is rubbish. 

This year, Canadians will pay $54.1 billion just to cover the interest owed on the deficit incurred since the Liberals took office. This is more than the government collects in GST; almost double what we spend on Canada’s military; and more than the federal government transfers to the provinces for health care.

When the government spends money it does not have, it causes inflation to rise, which drives up the cost of everything. Thanks to Trudeau’s out-of-control spending, Canadians are stuck paying more for housing, groceries, fuel, and other essentials. The prosperity most people enjoyed less than a decade ago has become a distant memory and altogether unattainable.

In 2014, under the previous Conservative government, Canada was home to the world’s most affluent middle class. Today, Bloomberg reports that Canada is home to a “housing crisis, packed hospitals and food lines.” The National Post recently reported that child poverty is rising at an astronomical rate.

All of this has to do with the Liberals’ tax-and-spend policies.

On April 22nd I hosted a public town hall that drew a full room. As individuals came to the mic with their questions and concerns, the resounding plea was that something must change. The cost and corruption of the current government cannot be allowed to continue.

Every month, I hear from hundreds of families in Lethbridge who are struggling to pay their rent, put food on their tables, or fuel up their vehicles. Much of this has to do with Trudeau’s punitive carbon tax, which was hiked by 23 percent on April 1st. The Liberals’ latest budget will only make things worse.

In Lethbridge, the Interfaith Food Bank has experienced a 75 percent increase in usage by working individuals, and food banks across the nation witnessed a staggering two million visits in a single month last year. An additional one million visits are expected in 2024.

To help Canadians through this affordability crisis, Common Sense Conservatives proposed three critical directives to correct the Liberals’ devastating mismanagement: axe the tax on farmers and food; build homes not bureaucracy; and cap spending by enforcing a dollar-for-dollar rule to curb out-of-control spending.

Trudeau has been touring the country the last few weeks, attempting to sell his snake oil to Canadians. He wants you to think he has the cure to the very sickness he created.

After nine years of Trudeau, Canadians are tired of snake oil and want actual solutions. The answer is simple: we need the government to get out of the way and let Canadians keep more of their hard-earned pay cheques.

People in Lethbridge must be allowed to invent, invest, and innovate. We need a smaller government to accommodate bigger citizens.

Lethbridge Herald: Liberals Defy Logic with Continued Carbon Tax Hikes

April Fool’s Day has come and gone, and with it, one of the cruelest jokes this government has sprung so far. Amid one of the worst affordability crises this country has ever seen, the Liberals have chosen to ignore the cry of Canadians and increase their punitive carbon tax by 23 percent.

Canadians already feel squeezed, but their concerns fall on deaf ears in Ottawa. Two-thirds of Canadians cite the carbon tax as an added burden they cannot afford, according to a poll by Angus Reid Institute.

Every month, my staff and I hear from hundreds of constituents who are struggling to pay their rent, put food on their tables, or fuel up their vehicles. Those living on a fixed income, such as seniors and those living with a disability, are among the hardest hit. People often come into my office with their home heating bill to show me the carbon tax line. The amount is often just as much or more than the actual cost of the natural gas they used for the month.

It's ludicrous.

While the Prime Minister can pat himself on the back for “doing something” to appease his enviro-activist supporters, he kneecaps the agriculture sector and further punishes Canadians who are already having a hard time feeding their families. Trudeau fails to understand that if you tax the farmer who makes the food and the trucker who ships the food, the tax ultimately lands with the person who buys the food.

Trudeau knows that Canadians despise the carbon tax. However, rather than offering the relief families desperately seek by scrapping the tax altogether, the Liberals have opted to spend taxpayer money on consultants to "rebrand" it to make it more acceptable. In a desperate attempt to save face amidst plummeting popularity, the Prime Minister has decided to rename the carbon tax and spin it as the “Canada Carbon Rebate.”

It is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.

To top it off, the Liberal government would have Canadians believe that despite all evidence to the contrary, they are somehow better off with the carbon tax because it results in a rebate that is supposedly greater than the amount of the tax.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer would disagree. According to him, people pay far more tax than they ever get back in the suggested rebate. In Alberta, residents are worse off by nearly $1000 per year. For most households, this is a lot of money. How much pressure would it alleviate for families if they were able to keep more of their hard-earned paycheque instead of paying the costly carbon tax?

Trudeau reaches into the left pocket of Canadians and takes out a wad of cash. Then, deposits a few coins into the right pocket and expects taxpayers to praise him for his generosity.

Make no mistake, as Margaret Thatcher put it, “the State has no source of money other than money which people earn themselves.” In the face of Liberal deception, Canadians are not fooled. It is unsurprising that 70 percent of Canadians and 70 percent of premiers oppose Trudeau’s recent tax hike.

My colleagues and I have listened to the overwhelming call of Canadians to stop the carbon tax. In March, Conservatives proposed a motion to prevent the carbon tax hike. This motion, if passed, would have slammed the brakes on the carbon tax increase and delivered much-needed relief to families. Unfortunately, the Liberals and NDP joined forces to go full steam ahead with their tax hike.

Then, acting on the most signed e-petition in Canadian history, Conservatives called for a motion of non-confidence to trigger an election and allow Canadians to express their concerns at the ballot box. Sadly, the Liberals and NDP voted together again, preventing a carbon tax election.

The corrupt Liberal government must stop punishing Canadians for simply trying to live and provide for their families. The people of this country deserve a government that unleashes their potential and champions a vibrant future for hard-working Canadians—a future where overbearing tax measures are replaced with opportunities for growth and progress.

With more resolve than ever, my Conservative colleagues and I will continue the fight to restore affordability and ensure Canadians are empowered to live a life rich in opportunity.