{"id":15730,"date":"2023-11-12T11:42:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T16:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=15730"},"modified":"2023-11-19T11:45:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-19T16:45:17","slug":"liberals-carbon-tax-is-an-oppressive-ineffectual-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=15730","title":{"rendered":"Liberals\u2019 carbon tax is an oppressive, ineffectual tax"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Niagara Independent, November 10, 2023 \u2013<\/em> If anything, the events of the past two weeks have revealed the Liberals\u2019 carbon tax is a political ploy and not a tool to fight climate change as they claim it is. The carbon tax is simply another tax on Canadians, not \u201ca price on pollution.\u201d And this tax is hurting Canadian individuals and families \u2013 and the nation\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

It is a tax on everything. Today, the carbon tax adds more than $10 on every fill up and hundreds of dollars for home heating fuel through the winter. In the next six years, the scheduled tax hikes will more than double these totals. It is a tax on all goods and services. It hits farmers and truckers hard and hits commuters to work \u2013 twice a day. It increases the prices on everything from a Tim Horton\u2019s coffee and food in your grocery cart to housing construction costs. It is fueling the country\u2019s inflation rate, as confirmed recently by bank governor Tiff Macklen in public statements and before a MP parliamentary committee.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago, while campaigning in the Maritimes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise announcement that the government would pause charging the carbon tax on home heating oil, an initiative that directly benefits Atlantic residents. It was a crass political announcement that had the PM referencing the \u201chardworking Atlantic Liberal MPs\u201d who argued for relief from the federal carbon tax because they were pushing the cost of living beyond what Maritimers could bear.<\/p>\n

A political slugfest broke out between federal Liberal ministers and the provinces. Several premiers called on the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax on all forms of home heating. Ontario Premier Doug Ford published open letter to the Liberal federal caucus, calling on MPs to stand up for constituents and extend the tax relief to natural gas. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe went as far as declaring he would \u201cabsolutely not\u201d collect carbon tax on natural gas starting on January 1, 2024 \u2013 and then passed legislation to that effect.<\/p>\n

Provincial finance ministers gathered and five of them issued a joint statement to say that Trudeau\u2019s pause of the carbon tax on home heating oil created \u201cjurisdictional imbalances\u201d and they urged him to \u201celiminate the carbon tax to ensure fairness and ease financial pressure on Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n

As this was transpiring, Seamus O\u2019Regan, Newfoundland MP and Labour Minister mused for the Ottawa press corps that the Liberal cabinet was intent to \u201cbarrel on\u201d because, as O\u2019Regan put it, \u201cIt\u2019s hard breaking through regular everyday folks who are just having trouble making things meet and are looking for someone to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudie Hutchings, Newfoundland MP and the Minister of Rural Economic Development (for all of Canada) also took to the airwaves to poke at the western premiers, stating on a CTV News show, \u201cAtlantic caucus was vocal with what they\u2019ve heard from their constituents and perhaps they need to elect more Liberals in the Prairies so we can have that conversation as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Premier Moe instantly shot back, \u201cHow is that fair?\u2026 Now a federal minister has said if people out West want a carbon tax exemption we should elect more Liberals. This is no way to run a country. As Premier I cannot accept the federal government giving an affordability break to people in one part of Canada but not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Premiers\u2019 appeal fell on deaf ears in Ottawa. PM Trudeau was emphatic in stating no expansion to the tax exemption for other types of home heating, \u201cThere will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspension of the price on pollution.\u201d Dan Vandal, Manitoba MP and Northern Affairs Minister was sent into a media scrum to echo the PM\u2019s message: \u201cListen, the door is closed on carve-outs as far as I\u2019m concerned. This is a policy to get rid of home heating oil and replace it with heat pumps because it\u2019s environmentally much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

In assessing this Liberal-made divisive turf war, consider these facts:<\/p>\n