Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague opposite for his question. I enjoy working with him.
With regard to competitiveness and the impact a price on carbon pollution may have, I would like to remind him, even though I know he already knows, that 80% of Canadians live in a province that already has a price on carbon. Those include the most densely populated provinces, namely, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Their growth is higher than average and they have maintained that growth over the past few years.
Pricing carbon has had no impact on competitiveness. On the contrary, we believe it encourages innovation, and that is supported by empirical evidence. Pricing carbon can have a very positive impact as businesses, industries, and consumers adapt and innovate to reduce their energy consumption and use energy more efficiently. That is not something we can ignore. We cannot only cherry-pick the facts that are most convenient. British Columbia put a price on carbon pollution several years ago and it has been experiencing strong economic growth.
With regard to the steel and aluminum tariffs, I think that we all agree that we need to take a stand against these unacceptable and, in our opinion, illegal tariffs imposed by the American administration. Canada must stand firm in defending its interests and always be calm and reasonable in its dealings with the United States.