Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Guilbeault, for being here today to answer our questions on the price on pollution.
The last two weeks have shown that climate change has a real cost, and no responsible government or political party should ignore that. We're only in May, yet there have been thousands of Canadians displaced from their homes and the air quality has been affected. We know that impacts health costs. There's the cost of damages, and there's the cost to our economy.
The Canadian Climate Institute estimated, through their reports on the cost of climate change, that it could slow economic growth by about 50%, costing $25 billion by 2025, and there are costs that aren't even estimated there. I'm wondering about this. Instead of outright denying climate change, recently the Conservatives have changed tack and they're trying to undermine the carbon pricing system, even going as far as to question the modelling, which has now been provided fully. I'm not quite sure what we're going to hear back on that. Also, we know that hundreds of scientists have endorsed not only carbon pricing but also the model.
It's clear that the only scenario where opposing climate action makes sense is if you don't believe that climate change will have real costs. However, the evidence is staring us in the face. Could you share with the committee the consequences of not taking action to address climate change by putting a price on pollution?