Madam Speaker, I just want to recap where I was on this question of privilege a bit, and then I will make some additional points.
We are all very grateful to have people send us here. I want to wish all the people of Niagara West a merry Christmas, a happy new year and safe travels.
I talked a little about what happened this past weekend in Montreal, which should never have happened. It is almost as though we do not recognize this Canada that we have anymore. I believe this is a direct result of the policies of the Liberal government and how its leader has been dividing people. Quite frankly, it is very troubling to see what happened on the weekend and the amount of destruction. The government had no problem freezing peaceful protesters' bank accounts before. I wonder when the frozen bank accounts are going to come from these guys across the way.
I was talking a bit about the Winnipeg labs. I will get back to that. Once again, there is nothing to see here, folks. That was back in 2021. They said there was nothing to see here but wanted to go to an election to make sure that the people of Canada did not actually have all the facts and did not understand what was going on.
I want to spend a little time talking about small business. We all understand that small businesses are the ones that help create jobs and wealth. They actually help drive the economy in our country. Quite frankly, with the challenges we have had with small businesses, they are struggling.
It is interesting: We talk about doing a number of things. We talk about axing the tax. I have a survey from the CFIB, and I want to take some time to read from this newspaper story. It is entitled “85% of small businesses reject federal carbon tax, survey shows”. It says, “A recent survey by a small business advocacy group has revealed growing discontent among small businesses towards the federal carbon tax.”
There is no surprise there. We are hearing that at the door all the time. My colleagues have talked to individuals and small business people, and they are hearing that.
The story continues:
Data by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) shows that 85% of businesses now oppose the federal carbon tax and want it removed, a significant increase from the 52% opposition recorded just a year ago. The majority of small firms find the tax unfair, especially in light of the federal government’s recent decision to exempt only one heating fuel, heating oil, from the tax.
“Small businesses have been raising their concerns with the carbon tax for years,” said CFIB president Dan Kelly.
“They pay about 40% of the costs of the carbon tax, but the federal government has promised to return only 10% to small businesses.”
We had another announcement this week, saying that the government is going to return some money. I think all small businesses are waiting with bated breath to see when that is actually going to come. I hope it will come in time for Christmas.
Once again, when we talk about the numbers, this is not revenue-neutral in any way, shape or form, which is what the Liberal government is constantly saying it is. They say it is revenue-neutral. People should not worry about it. They are going to get their money back.
The story continues:
Another rising concern is that many small firms will be ineligible for the Federal Fuel Charge Proceeds Return Program if the federal government ever gets around to creating it, explained Kelly. This program promised to deliver the $2.5 billion collected from taxpayers since 2019 to small businesses and Indigenous groups.
The recent decision by the government to exempt certain Canadians from the carbon tax for heating costs has further exacerbated the issue....
“The entire federal carbon tax structure is beginning to look like a shell game,” said Kelly.
That is something we have been saying on this side of the House for quite some time.
The article refers to “rising costs on everything from supplies to fuel to taxes and the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan repayment”. The loan repayments were very difficult. As I mentioned previously, almost two out of three small businesses needed to take on additional debt because of what happened during COVID. They are still struggling under that.
The article continues, “Halting future carbon tax increases, including the planned hike [in 2025] should also be on the table”. We have a tax trick going on right now. The government is saying that it is going to give Canadians a break on the GST for a couple of months, but there is no mention of the carbon tax that is going to go up next April. That is a very sad trick on people.
They talk about a number of things, basically saying that, in any way, shape or form, they do not support that.
Now, another thing we have said we want to do is stop the crime. We have this revolving door; it was talked about during opening statements, in terms of what is going on there and what is happening in a number of places.
Another article, “Half of Canadian businesses experienced crime and safety issues: survey”, states:
Almost one in two small businesses reported crime or safety-related issues in 2024, marking a sharp increase from the previous year.
A report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reveals that 45% of small businesses faced incidents like vandalism, theft, and drug paraphernalia which affected not only their operations but also the mental well-being of their employees and workers.
The CFIB reported that the incidents are impacting business finances and safety, with owners incurring a median cost of over $5,000 over the past three years for repairs and crime prevention.
However, 68% of business owners avoid filing insurance claims, fearing hikes in already steep premiums.
I think most of us will understand why our car premiums have gone up this year. It is because of the number of stolen cars in this country. Insurance companies, God bless them, pass those costs on to us individuals. At the end of the day, we end up—