Fuel rules unduly burden rural homes

Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) released their latest report, “A distributional analysis of the clean fuel regulations.”

These regulations require liquid fossil fuel (gasoline and diesel) suppliers to reduce the amount of pollution from the fuels they produce and sell for use in Canada, over time.

The PBO issued this most recent report to calculate how much money these new fuel regulations will cost Canadian tax payers.

According to the PBO, at the national level, “in 2030, the cost of the clean fuel regulations to households ranges from 0.62 per cent of disposable income (or $231) for lower-income households to 0.35 per cent of disposable income (or $1,008) for higher-income households.”

The PBO also concludes that these regulations will significantly impact lower-income households, who spend a larger share of their income on transportation and other energy-intensive goods and services.

Concerns remain about how these regulations, along with the carbon tax, will penalize those who live in rural communities and who are forced to do more driving due to fewer local services like healthcare and limited public transit options.

Also, back in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appointed special rapporteur, David Johnston, has recommended against a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian democracy.

The prime minister quickly accepted that there should be no public inquiry into foreign interference in our elections, despite support for such an inquiry from all opposition parties.

Lastly, with parliament set to rise in June, I will soon begin my annual summer listening tour.

Since I was elected the area MP – every summer – I have used this tour to hear citizens’ concerns throughout the riding, which is home to a diverse set of communities and people.

If you would like to schedule a meeting during his summer listening tour, please get in touch with me by email or through my toll-free number below.