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.