Dan Albas is the Conservative Party MP for the riding of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. This riding includes the communities of Kelowna (specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.
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With the House of Common back in session, Opposition Day is back. Opposition days, also known as “supply days,” are where the opposition parties can table a motion for debate in the House.
For the Official Conservative Opposition, the motion we tabled this week read as follows: “That, in the opinion of the House, given that the government’s tax increases on gas, home heating and, indirectly, groceries, will fuel inflation, and that the Parliamentary Budget Officer reported the carbon tax costs 60 per cent of households more than they get back, the government must eliminate its plan to triple the carbon tax.”
Triple the carbon tax?
I have found that many Canadians are unaware that the Trudeau Liberal Government plans to raise the carbon tax from the current level of $50 a tonne to $170 a tonne by 2030, with increases each and every year.
This breaks the promise the Trudeau Liberals made in 2019 when they stated that “The plan is not to increase the price (carbon tax) post-2022”.
This new rate will also apply to carbon taxes created under provincial law, such as British Columbia.
Should a provincial government refuse to increase their carbon tax in step with the federal government, the Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that the federal government can impose its own carbon tax as a backstop.
Why does the Official Opposition believe this is a problem?
As we have watched 40-year high inflation take hold in Canada, one of the key drivers of inflation is the high price of gasoline.
Higher gas prices not only harm household budgets, but they also increase transportation costs and in turn raise prices on groceries and other consumer goods – all increasing inflation.
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