I know that Mr. Oliphant has revealed that his constituents are among the smartest people in the world. I want to assure him that before rendering that judgment he should come to the riding of Carleton and visit with the businesses I represent and that they are also very shrewd in how they conduct their affairs.
The problem for them is that it's all stick and no carrot here. Mr. Oliphant is saying, look, if you reduce your emissions, we will hit you a little less hard with this big stick of ours called the carbon tax. Then he asks people to be grateful for that.
What I was asking is, where's the carrot for the small business person? Again, I gave the example of two small businesses from my constituency that lay foundations for medium-sized commercial buildings and also for residential homes. These are the foundations we all take for granted in the buildings that we live in and work in.
They are going to pay more. The government tells them, “Don't worry, there's this fund you're paying into and part of the carbon tax will flow into this fund.” It's defined through a very sophisticated algebraic formula. Trust us, it says, you're going to get something back here—maybe. It says, “We can't tell you what, but one day we will tell you, and maybe you can staple your fuel and other costs onto a letter, send that letter to the minister and he'll send you back some money.”