Madam Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, I asked a question during question period about the possibility of the Prime Minister's calling a carbon tax election. This was an important question for me and it was based on conversations that I had with many people in my home riding of Langley over the summer months, people who are deeply concerned about the ever-rising cost of living. We hear the Minister of Finance saying that we should be celebrating that inflation is coming down to the Bank of Canada's target of around 2%, but I am saying that celebrations might be a bit premature and certainly offensive to people who are struggling to put food on the table.
A recently retired couple explained it to me like this. Groceries that cost $100 when they first retired four years ago, today are costing $175 for the same food and that is week after week. Even though inflation might be down, the price of groceries is still sky high. Government-induced inflation is a tax on people on fixed income. Add to that the Liberals' ever-increasing carbon tax, which drives up the cost of everything, including groceries, and is driving a record number of people to food banks.
The Liberals say, yes, they realize that the carbon tax is going up and they realize it is inflationary, but that taxpayers are better off with this carbon tax because taxpayers get some of that money back. In support of that audacious claim, the Liberals highlight the fiscal-impact-only table of the recent Parliamentary Budget Officer report, while conveniently ignoring that same report's broader economic analysis saying that the carbon tax deals a sharp blow to our national economy and to our per capita income. In other words, we are all poorer, on account of the carbon tax and that is why my question was timely and important. Many Canadians feel that. They know it when they are out buying groceries.
I will acknowledge that we have been asking variations of that question for some time and perhaps the minister, or the government House leader who answered the question, was tired of the repetition, but I asked the question in good faith. It was important for my constituents. It was important for me. That is why it was so disappointing to receive a flippant answer to my question about the carbon tax from the government House leader.
She said something to the effect, “Oh, the House has lost confidence in the Leader of the Opposition.” Well, she knows the rules as well as everybody and that it is the Prime Minister's job to earn the confidence of the House and it is the opposition's job to test that confidence from time to time when it is appropriate to do so. We have been doing that very effectively since Parliament resumed again after the summer break. We have posed several appropriately placed non-confidence votes. Unfortunately, with the ongoing support of the NDP, the government still stands to continue wreaking economic havoc on our people.
The minister knows how this all works and maybe she is anticipating already what it is going to feel like to be on this side of the House. She is going to have her chance soon enough, but for now, we are asking the questions and I am hoping for a more serious answer to a legitimate question. Why is the Prime Minister afraid of a carbon tax election? Why not let Canadians decide?