Madam Speaker, over the summer recess, I had the opportunity to speak with many constituents, as well as many local businesses. I heard first-hand how the carbon tax burden is affecting them. I was invited to tour the Virtex Grain Exchange in my riding, where non-GMO canola oil is produced. The Virtex Grain Exchange is another testament to the resilient spirit of Canadians fighting to make a living after nine years of the Liberal government's disastrous financial policies, none more so than the carbon tax, yet another example of the Liberal government quashing entrepreneurship.
As if it were not hard enough to start a new business under the Liberals, their carbon tax is another barrier they have implemented that stifles the growth of small and medium-sized businesses. The Virtex Grain Exchange is being pummelled by the Liberal carbon tax as the price of operation continues to rise, with no end in sight. It is currently being forced to pay over $250,000 annually on the carbon tax. For a company its size, $250,000 would go a long way toward upgrading equipment or toward research and development. Instead, the money is going to fund the out-of-control spending habits of the current government.
In fact it came out earlier this year that the promised rebates to small and medium-sized businesses had not been paid out, as the government was sitting on $2.5 billion of unpaid rebates. If that money had not been taken from businesses to begin with, it could have been invested in Canadian industry, allowing businesses to grow and to employ Canadians.
The Liberal government refuses to listen to Canadians about the burden the carbon tax places on their personal finances as the carbon tax increases each year, artificially driving up the cost of everything. While the Liberals refuse to listen to Canadians on the issue of the carbon tax, it seems that the NDP spent the summer finally listening to its constituents and has finally pulled its support for the carbon tax after voting for it at least 24 times. However, this is too little, too late. Canadians are paying attention and will hold them to account.
Can the government, which has lost the support of the House and of Canadians, commit to calling a carbon tax election to allow Canadians to have their voices heard?