Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Beauséjour—Petitcodiac who are irate at the high gas and fuel prices.
It would seem that the federal government is once again turning its back on hard-working Canadians.
Not only has the high fuel tax hurt the trucking industry, it has also hit low income families especially hard, many of whom cannot handle any extra heating costs.
In 1995 the Liberal government raised gas taxes by 1.5 cents per litre as a means to lower the federal deficit. The deficit is gone. Can the government explain why the fuel tax still remains? Because of such extra taxes the Department of Transport enjoys a surplus in excess of $6 billion per year, mostly due to fuel tax revenue increases.
Today I urge the Liberal government to take action immediately and lower fuel taxes to help all Canadians through this very difficult period.