I think it's the worst possible time. I think it should have been a no-brainer, at the very least, for the government not to raise taxes when so many people lost their jobs and when so many small businesses were worried that their savings wouldn't keep the lights on.
Now we have people who are trying to drive from Port Hope to Richmond Hill for work and can't afford to fuel up their cars. Right around the corner is going to be wintertime and, of course, the carbon tax drives up the cost to heat our homes during those cold winter months.
Look, I don't think we should kid ourselves. The government knows that these tax increases are inflationary. That's the whole goal of the carbon tax. Sometimes I think that the government pats itself on the back every time it sees big prices at the pumps. It's the same with the second carbon tax. The government's analysis is very clear: The second carbon tax could add up to an extra 13ยข per litre to the price of gasoline by 2030, and of course there are no rebates with the second carbon tax.