Madam Speaker, the Conservative Party is taking an impressive intellectual shortcut by connecting the carbon tax to the rising cost of living. Not once in their speeches have we heard them say that we need to make more of an effort to fight climate change. We never hear them say what my colleagues said earlier, that the oil companies made $200 billion in profits in 2022. We never hear them talk about how the government is helping out the oil companies. In fact, it has helped them to the tune of $82 billion in subsidies.
If the government had the courage to halt these subsidies, we could spend all that fine money on helping the people who need it the most. We could help the most vulnerable among us, try to solve the housing crisis, provide grocery money, and fix the homelessness problem. Why not use that money for these things?
However, the shortcut between the carbon tax and the increased cost of living is irresponsible.