No clarity on carbon tax

Justin Trudeau is trying to ram through his carbon tax. He has failed to tell Canadians how much this tax hike will cost or what it will achieve.

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 covered up the truth. Multiple requests for information filed with the government have resulted in the release of documents that have key information blacked out.

Canada’s Conservatives have also repeatedly asked how much the Liberals’ carbon tax will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment have refused to answer.

When asked directly to provide real numbers on how much the Trudeau carbon tax would actually help the environment, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna could not even answer the question. That’s unacceptable when Canadians are footing the bill.

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. This will hurt jobs, workers, and their families.

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 what the overall cost will be for an average Canadian family.

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 per cent of middle class taxpayers, boosted payroll taxes, and now he is ramming through a carbon tax that will inflate other consumer prices.

Conservatives understand that you cannot tax your way to a cleaner environment. Our party will continue to fight for lower taxes and continue to call on the Liberals to immediately end their carbon tax cover-up. We will always stand up for our energy workers and, when we are voted into government in 2019, we will undo the damage Justin Trudeau has done.

Jim Eglinski, MP – Yellowhead