On Parliament Hill

Justin Trudeau is making life more expensive for Canadian families. Gas prices, electricity rates, taxes and mortgage payments are all increasing, making it difficult for families to make ends meet. His Liberal government has raised income taxes on 80% of middle class taxpayers, boosted payroll taxes, and now he is ramming through a carbon tax that will inflate other consumer prices. Worse yet, his Liberal government is covering up how much the tax will cost the average Canadian family.

Over the last two years, Conservatives have asked the government dozens of times to tell us how much a middle-class family will pay in new taxes – and each time the Liberals have refused to tell Canadians. Multiple requests for information filed with the government have resulted in the release of documents that have key information blacked out.

While the Liberals admit that gasoline prices will go up by at least 11¢ a litre and that the cost of heating one’s home will increase by over $200, they will not tell us the what overall cost of this scheme will be for an average Canadian family.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer released a new report recently which found that the Liberal carbon tax will take $10 billion out of the Canadian economy by 2022, while other estimates argue the cost could be as much as $35 billion per year. There is no doubt that this will negatively affect jobs, workers, and their families.

Proponents of carbon taxes say the costs of the carbon tax can be reimbursed, and that it is more efficient than regulation; however there is no jurisdiction in Canada where the carbon tax is revenue neutral. In every province, it has become just another source of tax revenue; and in no jurisdiction have regulations actually been reduced.

The Liberals’ carbon tax will not lead to major emissions reductions in Canada either. We need look no further than British Columbia to see a perfect example of this. Despite having the highest carbon tax in Canada, emissions have continued to rise, and as a result British Columbians now pay more for gas than anyone else in North America. BC’s carbon tax isn’t helping the environment; it’s just costing people more to get to work and to take their kids to hockey and soccer practice.

Conservatives understand that you cannot tax your way to a cleaner environment. We will continue to fight for lower taxes and we will continue to call on the Liberals to immediately end their carbon tax cover-up.