Mr. Chair, the attitude described by Mr. Kmiec was perfectly reflected by Alberta's premier, who in defending her carbon tax said that it will cause people to make better choices such as taking the bus. Well, there are millions of Albertans who don't live where there's any regular transit service, where taking the bus is not an option, where living normal lives and taking their kids to their hockey practices, picking up the groceries, and getting to work all require driving. In many walks of life, it requires driving a larger vehicle as well.
What our premier essentially told those people is that they should stop living their normal lives. This is a moral judgment on people who are not irresponsible. It punishes them if you tell them they have to turn the heat down at home when it's 30 below outside. I think within that is a desire for government to control people's lives. I think there's a fundamental philosophical difference here. I believe in empowering people to be more free, not empowering government to make people less free.