Yes. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
As a reference for the committee, I would highlight exactly what you've referred to here, Chair. Under the Canadian heritage mandate, which is posted on the government's website, it says, “The Department of Canadian Heritage...and its Portfolio organizations play a vital role in the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians.”
That line, which then appears in our motion, is used by the government itself to describe the mandate of the heritage committee. It is appropriate that we would discuss, then, the effect the carbon tax is having on those things in Canadian life.
I'm not sure about other members at this table, but I have had the chance to meet with the head of Theatre Calgary. I have met with various theatre organizations and other entertainment organizations in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. I have heard first-hand from them about the difficulty they are having in regard to ticket sales.
They would point to the feedback they're getting from their patrons as to why they are not frequenting as much. The number one reason would be that life is unaffordable. It's that at the end of the day, folks are left with less disposable income. Because of that, they are making the decision to cut things like live theatre from their weekly, monthly or even maybe the activities that they would engage in once or twice a year.
As a result, these organizations or companies are having a really difficult time making ends meet. Those that I have had the opportunity to meet with, of course, are looking for greater support. They're looking to the government for that.
In fact, the government wouldn't be asked for that if Canadians could simply afford to go and participate in the activities they wish to. If they had the money in their pockets to be able to afford to go to dance, to music festivals or to live theatre, then these companies or organizations would not be left having to beg for a handout.
They do not wish to be in that position. They wish, instead, to be upheld, maintained and supported by individuals—by Canadians. Mainly, that's the way they want to be supported, because it would mean they have an audience, which is ultimately their goal. It would mean there would be people in the theatre who were watching these shows, who were excited about these shows and who were supporting these shows. It would mean that arts and culture were alive and well and being supported in this country. That is the mandate of this committee.
The mandate of this committee is to make sure the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians is upheld and supported. One of the big ways the government can do this is by scrapping the carbon tax and making sure Canadians are not having to pay this punitive amount of money, which is attached to everything from home heating to gas to groceries.
This government is now scheduled to increase that carbon tax by 23% in just a few weeks, on April 1. When the government increases the carbon tax yet again, you can imagine the impact this will have on Canadians. It's robbing them yet again of disposable income and the ability to afford the arts.
I believe it is incumbent upon this committee, then, to take those things into account, to stand up for all arts and culture in this country, and to therefore recommend to the House that the carbon tax should be immediately cancelled so that Canadians are left with more money to be able to pay for the things they wish to spend money on, such as the arts.
I'll leave it there for now.