Axe the Tax!
By Damien Kurek
Battle River-Crowfoot MP
On December 5th, Senators voted on an amendment to Bill C-234 that essentially removed the exemption from the carbon tax for farmers, defeating the entire purpose of the Bill and adding costs to the food we need that is getting more expensive.
For the last decade, the PM has repeatedly claimed that the Senate, and those he appoints to it, are independent. Well, this weekend proved otherwise. He and his socialist Environment Minister were busy employing a campaign of bullying and pressure to force his Senators to kill this carbon tax for farmers.
On December 6th, I stood in the House of Commons to call the Prime Minister out for his lies.
“We know he bullied his senators. The Prime Minister lied, and his minions continue to lie.”
The first point of the truth I brought up is that the carbon tax is a tax plan, not an environmental plan. And while this disproportionately affects rural Canada, the reality is if you tax the farmer who grows the food, tax the trucker who ships the food, you are indeed taxing the people who are buying the food. That is why Conservatives have introduced, and have been working hard to pass, Bill C-234. This not only affects folks in East Central Alberta, but all Canadians who are paying more to heat their homes, feed their families, and even put a roof over their heads. Conservatives are fighting for the carbon tax to be axed. And the Liberals refuse to acknowledge these facts.
The second is when it comes to the Senate, while the Liberals often claim the Senate is “independent” to avoid scrutiny, the secretive process the Liberals have employed to select Senators has resulted in these so-called independent appointments that include Liberal insiders, donors, and folks who vote for the Liberals with very few exceptions. The fact that the PM and his Minister bullied Senators into not supporting this bill is proof that the Prime Minister lied. And to top it off, the Liberals refuse to appoint Senators from Alberta who have been duly elected.
Over the next few weeks, Conservatives are using every Parliamentary tool at our disposal to persuade the Government to work for the best interests of Canadians, to bring home a country that empowers our people to earn powerful paycheques, develop our resources, build homes, restore trust to our institutions, and, in advance of Christmas, to enable the prosperity needed for folks to put food on their tables and gifts under the tree.
At the end of the day, I will not apologize for telling the truth, will continue to stand up for common sense, and am proud to be a part of the team of Conservatives from across Canada who are ready to get to work and restore the promise of what Canada can be.