Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I appreciate that you've tried to bring productivity or competitiveness into this conversation. I think that it is important, but only a Liberal could come here and try to get us all excited, to get Canadians excited, that somehow new higher taxes are going to do so much good for people, families and businesses in this country.
Our main competitors, as has been outlined before—the United States, Russia and China when it comes to steel, and many other advanced nations—do not have industrial carbon pricing or carbon pricing at all, particularly, as you mentioned, in the trade-exposed sectors.
The timing of this tax increase is very suspect. You've mentioned tariffs and the impact that they're having on many of our industries. At a time when we have increased tariffs, flailing productivity, a reduction in the quality of life and a massive outflow of Canadian capital from this country to find more suitable places to invest, all you've offered, frankly, is a whole bunch of corporate welfare.
I'd like you to tell me how increasing the industrial carbon tax right now, when all of these other factors are destroying Canadian enterprise in this country.... How is now the time to raise taxes? How is that going to increase our competitiveness, and how on earth is that going to increase the productivity of our companies in this country?