Agriculture Committee on May 28th, 2018

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

You know the problems there were.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Minister—

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

We put the bill in place and now we have a situation in which—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Minister, could you answer my question?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

—over the years we will be able to move the product and we will be able to make sure that grain—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

How much is the carbon tax going to cost Canadian farmers? Could you answer that question, please?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

—meets the target for the export market, for if you do not have the grain—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Minister, could you answer how much the carbon tax is going to cost Canadian farmers? Have you done that analysis?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I can tell you one thing, my good friend John, and that is that farmers have been great stewards of the land. They have been taking care of our environment for many years and will continue to do so. Carbon pricing is an important part. You know very well—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Can you tell me how much it's going to cost the Canadian farmer? Give me a dollar figure. Have you done that analysis?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

John, is it my time to talk?

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

No, it's my time.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

We canvassed to make sure that we would take care of the environment and increase our productivity—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

So can you say, “I don't know”?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

—and that is exactly what we have done.

As you're fully aware, a large portion of the country is under a tax on carbon and the farmers know very well if you do not take care of your land and water, you cannot produce an agricultural product. That is why they bought into our program of making sure—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

So you're saying you haven't done the analysis on what it's going to cost Canadian farmers to pay for the carbon tax.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

You know very well that the provincial government has the opportunity to reimburse—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

No, this is a federal carbon tax. You take responsibility for it. Have you done the analysis, yes or no?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

We made sure that we're going to take care of the environment and increase our GDP and that is—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Farmers are looking for answers.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

You know it, John.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Farmers are looking for definitive answers, Mr. Minister, and you're not giving it to them. That's what we're facing.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

The farmers want—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

We want somebody fighting for us here.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Farmers got what they voted for: a good government that's making sure that we have—