Madam Speaker, the Conservative member opposite said one thing that I will totally agree with. He said we do not know the facts. I have never heard anything more true coming from that side of the aisle.
As Canadians face ever-increasing droughts, wildfires and extreme weather events, the need to continue taking action on climate change has never been greater. Climate impacts have already reduced Canada's GDP by $25 billion. By 2055, without significant emissions reductions, these costs are projected to soar to between $80 billion and $103 billion. Who knows what kind of future we are leaving to our children?
Addressing climate change now is essential, not just for our environment, but for our economy and for our future. This summer, Canadians, including the member opposite, watched in horror as many parts of Canada were ravaged by wildfires. Canadians are looking to government to put forward concrete action to combat the effects of climate change. That is exactly what pollution pricing does.
As the member opposite knows, there is no federal price on pollution in the province of British Columbia. However, the Conservative Party is obviously not interested in what the government has to say. Maybe its members will listen when the Bank of Canada says that a price on pollution contributes less than 1% yearly to inflation rates. The reality is that the Conservative Party has no plan when it comes to fighting climate change.
With the new revelations that the senior Conservative advisers are confirming they would let the industrial polluters off the hook, combined with the report that the Leader of the Opposition met with dozens of oil and gas CEOs at a private fundraiser, the Conservatives' motives are very clear. This was never about helping Canadians. It was always about the efforts to serve their ultrarich, big polluter friends, especially those in the oil and gas industry.
The Conservatives' position on carbon pricing is clearly designed to create political cover for them trying to help their leader's friends in big oil and gas and other heavy industries to pollute for free, while ending the Canada carbon rebate and leaving Canadians on the hook to pay for the costs of that pollution.
We know the cost of doing nothing far outweighs the cost of our actions. Our government is stepping up to protect the environment so future generations will have an environment that is livable. It is a shame that other parties will not do the same.
