Mr. Speaker, first, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Repentigny.
On April 22, just six days before the federal election, millions of Canadians got a cheque from the federal government. It was a generous payment presented as a carbon rebate totalling $3.7 billion. Cheques were as much as $456 per household, but Quebeckers did not get a dime. However, Quebec taxpayers paid their unequal share of that expenditure. Their income taxes funded nearly $814 million of that rebate. They paid part of the bill, but they were excluded from being beneficiaries. That is an egregious injustice, it is an unacceptable vote-buying action, and that is what the Bloc Québécois condemns today. We have moved a clear, legitimate and fair motion today that is asking the federal government to immediately and without conditions reimburse Quebec for its contribution equal to $814 million. It is not a privilege and it is not a favour. It is a question of justice.
Let us look at the facts. The new Prime Minister made an order on April 1, 2025 repealing the federal carbon tax. The carbon tax rebate was paid out on April 22, but it covered the period from April to June 2025, a period where carbon pricing did not even apply. It is written in black and white on the Finance Canada website: “Payments delivered to Canadians in April would thus return the fuel charge proceeds collected during the April-June quarter“. Since no proceeds were collected, however, the government paid those rebates directly from the public purse.
My goodness, what a lovely gift for the rest of Canada. Those public funds also include the taxes paid by Quebeckers. Quebec was excluded, however. Why is that? Because it was not subject to the federal tax, but the tax that was eliminated on April 1 did not fund anything. The fact is that those rebate cheques were a purely political gesture paid for by everyone and distributed to nearly everyone, excluding Quebeckers. Let us recall that Quebeckers were never entitled to the carbon tax rebate because, in 2013, Quebec chose to adopt its own carbon pricing system. It is a system that is recognized, credible and effective, with links to California and Washington state. It is a system that works. It is a system that Quebeckers embraced out of a sense of responsibility, and now they are penalized for doing the right thing.
Let us look at some concrete examples. A family in Mont-Joli received no part of the $456 paid to their Canadian neighbours. A senior couple in Amqui was paid no part of the $334 that their taxes helped to fund. Students in Rimouski, workers in Trois-Pistoles and retirees in Sainte-Angèle-de-Mérici got nothing at all. They all paid their fair share, but they did not get their piece of the pie.
Meanwhile, households in other provinces receive a cheque for a tax that no longer even exists. Canadian unity sure is wonderful. This is not just an economic injustice; it is also an abandonment of the environment. By abolishing its carbon tax, the Liberal government is sabotaging its own climate policy. It is betraying Canada's international commitments. It is giving in to the Conservatives' simplistic propaganda.
Let us remember that 90% of the tax revenue was returned directly to households, and according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, eight out of 10 Canadians got back more than they paid. That is what Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has been telling us for the past 10 years. Why scuttle an effective policy? It is because the “Axe the tax” slogan is easier to sell than a transition plan. It is also because, six days before the election, a cheque is much more attractive than an energy transition project. There are consequences to that choice. While the government is abandoning carbon pricing, the European Union is preparing to implement a border carbon adjustment as early as next January.
Concretely, that means that products from a country like Canada, which does not put a price on carbon or pollution, will be subject to surtax in the European market. In that case, who suffers? Canadian companies will, but not Quebec companies. Why? Because Quebec is responsible and it still has a price on pollution. While Ottawa is making Canada weaker, Quebec is wisely preserving its access to international markets.
However, from everything I have just said, Quebec is the one being punished, even though it is doing all the right things, is responsible and has taken action, and above all refuses to take the easy way out. The Bloc Québécois is not the only one making this request today. The National Assembly is making the request unanimously with its motion from April 23, which demands that Quebec receive its share, meaning over $800 million. What response did the Prime Minister give? It is no big deal, Quebec has another system. The Prime Minister gave a clear and unequivocal refusal, a refusal to recognize an injustice, a refusal to respect Quebec's elected officials and the National Assembly's unanimous request.
The motion we have moved today is not just a partisan plea. It is a basic demand for justice and respect. It aims to correct a clear mistake, a decision made in haste during an election, without a thought for tax fairness among the citizens of this country. Today, we are simply asking that Quebec be treated with respect, that its taxpayers be reimbursed for what they have paid and that the government finally listen to what every single elected official in Quebec has been calling for. Of the $3.7 billion distributed, including $814 million financed by Quebec, Quebeckers received zero dollars.
Quebec took action. Quebec is paying. Today, Quebec is demanding fairness. Elected officials in the House must respond fairly.