QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Carbon Tax
June 17, 2024
Leader, when it comes to Minister Guilbeault’s actions, ultimately, we know that he is not doing anything that the Prime Minister disagrees with, nothing. Right from the very start, common-sense Conservatives have called on the Trudeau government to release all documents about the true cost of the carbon tax in their original and uncensored form. Right from the start, long before Minister Guilbeault was named to his post, this incompetent and secretive government tried to hide the truth from Canadians. Seeing as Minister Guilbeault won’t step down, and the Prime Minister won’t fire him, Canadians need a carbon tax election, leader, don’t they?
What Canadians need is an adult conversation about how we should invest in climate change. What Canadians need, what Canadian businesses need, what the oil patch needs and what all sectors of the economy need is to have a plan and a program and legislation in place so that Canada can continue to attract foreign investment, investment that increasingly requires countries and businesses to have serious plans towards arriving at carbon neutrality. That is what Canadians need. That’s actually what Canadian entrepreneurs need. That’s what capital markets need. That’s what economists tell us we need.
What we don’t need is what we seem to be exposed to in this rather less-than-adult conversation about a serious existential issue.
If we want an adult conversation, we’d need an adult in the Prime Minister’s Office, not a snowboard instructor. Canadians already know the cost of carbon tax. They see it every time they buy groceries or fill their tank to drive to work. Everyday life is more expensive. Last year, Minister Guilbeault said there would be no more carbon tax carve-outs as long as he’s the minister. He’s more concerned about his job than the affordability crisis. That’s one more reason for the carbon tax election, leader, isn’t it?
I will continue to simply summarize — and the record will show that I’ve answered this question on numerous occasions — there’s no credible evidence that the tax on pollution has had a material impact on food prices or other measures that Canadians are still struggling with, but, again, I can only put facts on the table and let others judge accordingly.
