I as well would like to get some thoughts on this on the record.
In one of the arguments when we debated this in the House of Commons in an opposition motion and in the debate on the bill itself and the policy, we were told that the relatively short time horizon on the excise removal—just over the summer—was there because the prices were so volatile that the government didn't know if the price was going to come down right away and that maybe would have lower crude prices by the summer.
I will note this just quickly. I mean, I don't follow it day to day, but just a quick search here says that West Texas Intermediate is at $91.28 today. We have not seen relief in the crude price, which is one of the drivers that gave us the sharp rise in fuel costs for Canadians.
Given that we're already.... I mean, that was many weeks ago now, Madam Chair, and the rationale they had then was that we should wait and see before we take additional measures. Some would say that we have waited. We have waited and the price is still very high. Gasoline prices are still very high. Canadians are very much pinched and could use the the relief.
The argument for extending the removal of not just this—the excise they're proposing here—but all federal taxes on fuel through to the end of the year is that it would be an important affordability measure for Canadians. The ongoing and prolonged high oil price would suggest that we should in fact extend this excise relief and, also, relief on other fuel taxes the Liberal government has imposed, like the clean fuel standard and the industrial carbon tax, which go into the input.
I'm in favour of the motion.