Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's assault on hard-working families in the agriculture sector is reaching new heights. Last month, the Prime Minister announced an unprecedented increase in the carbon tax, resulting in farmers and ranchers losing tens of thousands of dollars in annual net income.
Red Deer is one of Alberta's most important agricultural regions. With more than 9,000 farms in central Alberta, it is no exaggeration to say that agriculture forms the backbone of our economy. The Liberal government's carbon tax is having a devastating impact.
What the Liberal government refuses to acknowledge is that the carbon tax has placed farmers and ranchers in a carbon tax trap. Farmers and ranchers do not have the ability to add the carbon tax to the prices of their products. However, they are subject to paying this tax as it is levied by their input suppliers. This is all before the Liberal government's newest tax, the clean fuel standard, kicks in. Farmers and ranchers simply cannot afford to keep paying the excessive costs of Liberal ineptitude.