Madam Speaker, it is nice to be here in adjournment debate with my colleague from Bow River. Unfortunately, once again tonight, my colleague over there is spreading misinformation about carbon pricing to discredit the system, and that is misleading Canadians. Just recently, the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan estimated that a large, 5,000-acre farm spends around $10,000 a year on carbon pricing, but the member just said it is $150,000. APAS goes on to suggest that these costs can be mitigated with changes to some of the fuels used. As APAS knows, the vast majority, about 90% of on-farm fuels, are exempt from carbon pricing.
I come from a family of apple farmers. Obviously, there is no grain drying involved in apple farming, but I am a member of Parliament for a semi-rural riding. There are poultry farms, two mushroom farms, very large egg operations, beef farms and cattle, equine facilities and a huge horse community. Actually, just 25 years ago, Milton had more horses than humans.
The raw data the member shared is in stark contrast to what the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan said. In fact, the number that he used was more than 15 times greater than these farmers stated the costs were. Those farmers also very clearly said that every farmer's goal, no matter their political stripe or commodity, is to leave the land we all have in a better condition for the next generation. They also added that they are not anti-carbon tax by any means.
We have a collective responsibility and obligation to ensure that food is affordable in Canada, and every time Conservatives stand up in the House and blame carbon pricing for elevated food costs, they are straight-up lying to Canadians. The evidence is very clear. Time after time, we see the facts come out that if we were to eliminate carbon pricing entirely in Canada, we would see less money in the pockets of lower- and middle-income Canadians, and we might see a grocery cart valued at $100 come down in cost by 50 cents. It is not the cause of the affordability crisis that Canadians are experiencing. In fact, the number one cause that scientists, economists and farmers have collectively identified as the cause for elevated food prices is climate change itself.
The impacts of climate change and extreme weather through floods, wildfires, drought and all of the challenges we are facing as we continue to burn more and more fossil fuels and emit more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere are causing extreme weather. The hottest year on record is 2024. The record it broke was from 2023. The record 2023 broke was from 2022.
Wheat yields in Canada went down last year and the number one cause was climate change, not carbon pricing. The member makes it very clear that he is proud of our energy sector; he wears his “I love Canadian oil and gas” tie in the House on a frequent basis. We ought to be proud of our energy sector and support it and the workers within it. It has enhanced the wealth of our country, and that is a very important thing.
At the same time, we need to make sure that our oil and gas sector and our energy workers are innovating and providing solutions to lower their emissions so that we are not contributing to climate change.
I would ask once again that the member opposite cut with the misinformation. The number one cause of food inflation in the world is climate change, not carbon pricing. Carbon pricing is one of the best solutions for it.