Kurek: Canada Currently
By Damien Kurek
Battle River - Crowfoot MP
There has been a lot happening over the past few weeks. Parliament and Committees have been very busy, there has been a full-scale attack against Israel by a terrorist organization, and this past week I travelled across Battle River—Crowfoot listening to your concerns.
On the note of the terrorist attacks on Israel, I want to take a moment to say that Conservatives unequivocally condemn the invasion of democratic Israel by Hamas terrorists. My thoughts and prayers are with the families, including Canadians, who have lost loved ones or who are waiting to hear whether they are safe. Israel needs our support at this critical juncture. I also join with Pierre Poilievre in condemning the anti-Israel, pro-Hamas, demonstrations that have taken place across Canada, supported by activist leaders, some politicians, and on university campuses. This type of hate and antisemitism has no place in Canada.
Everywhere I go the cost of living is top of mind. In a recent series of town halls, meetings, events, and calls across Battle River—Crowfoot that I participated in in the week following Thanksgiving, I heard consistently about the out-of-control prices of groceries, utilities, and fuel. Thanksgiving dinner has never cost so much, and while the Liberals have promised relief they have failed to deliver. Additionally, there is a real fear expressed by everyone with a mortgage who is worried about the cost that will result in a renewal at a much higher interest rate.
Conservatives have been working to make sure the concerns about the cost of living are heard from the out-of-control inflation causing spending, failed monetary policy, and inflationary taxes like the carbon tax. Before Thanksgiving, Conservatives put forward a straightforward motion calling, once again, for the Government to axe the carbon tax. Conservatives stood up for lower prices and voted in favour, with the exception of one MP from the Liberal Party who defied his party to vote with us.
To Conservatives, it’s simple: when you tax the farmer who grows the food, tax the trucker who transports it and tax the stores who sell it, all those taxes will get added to the bills of the families who buy the food. It’s not only ineffective at reducing emissions, the carbon tax is pure and simple bad public policy. It’s increasing the cost of living, and finally, one Liberal stood up to agree with us.
In an interview after voting with the Conservatives against the carbon tax, Liberal MP Ken Macdonald from Newfoundland and Labrador said, “I think it’s [the carbon tax] hurting them a fair bit. Everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, you know, we’re losing faith in the Liberal Party… I’ve had people tell me they can’t afford to buy groceries. They can’t afford to heat their homes, and that’s hard to hear from, especially seniors who live alone and tell me that they go around their house in the spring and winter time with a blanket wrapped around them ’cause they can’t afford the home heating fuel and they can’t afford to buy beef or chicken.”
This is proof that it’s not only here in rural Alberta that are concerned about the Liberal agenda, but increasingly that is the case across Canada.
Conservatives are bringing forward common-sense solutions to help Canadians, while almost all Liberals and NDP members continue to push failed policies that are costing Canadians dearly. It is Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh who must answer to Canadians why they continue to implement policies that make Canadians’ lives more expensive.