Debates of April 14th, 2026

Science and Innovation

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, we made record investments in science and research in the 2024 budget, and now in the 2025 budget on our impact-plus research chairs program. Some of the work we do is through government science, and we get good advice on that from our hard-working chief science officer.

More important, and in a greater forum, we make significant investments through researchers outside government. I had the recent opportunity to go to Vancouver Island and visit Ocean Networks Canada to accompany my colleague, the member for Victoria, at the University of Victoria's Pacific Marine Institute for Marine Energy Discovery and the Centre for Aerospace Research in North Saanich. I look forward to continuing to build on that work with the member and with the member for Victoria.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Fuel Taxes

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the four-point plan before the House today is the following: to remove the fuel excise tax, which is adding 10¢ a litre, for the remainder of 2026; to remove the GST on gas and diesel, which is eight cents a litre, for the remainder of 2026; to permanently remove the clean fuel standard, which is seven cents a litre; and to permanently remove the industrial carbon tax.

If we look around the world at many of our allies, Australia has cut fuel and diesel taxes in half for three months. Germany announced $1.9 billion in fuel price relief. Ireland has cut its excise tax duty by 10¢ per litre. Spain, Italy, Austria and Portugal have all moved on this, but Canada, a country that produces its own oil, has done the least of all of them.

It is time for the Prime Minister to listen to Canadians and support our plan to leave more money in the pockets of people and make life more affordable back home. He took the first step in our Conservative plan this morning. The House can do the rest now.

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my excellent colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge for that great speech, which was interrupted by a bunch of drivel during question period about how the Liberals have reinvented affordability for the umpteenth time since they caused this affordability crisis when they took office 11 years ago. I wonder if my colleague can comment a bit more on how shallow the depth of their announcement earlier today is and what real relief for Canadian families might look like.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, of course, we should not be surprised with the plan the Liberal Prime Minister announced today. While it does include one point of our four-point plan to make life more affordable for Canadians, everything the Liberal government does, especially under the current Prime Minister, is half measures.

The Liberals have all this rhetoric about all the amazing things they are going to do, how they are going to help people and how they are going to make life more affordable, but the reality of what they actually do never really lines up with what they say. That is why our plan wants us to go even further and deeper, so there are more savings for Canadians.

We want to cut the industrial carbon tax, remove the fuel standard, remove the excise tax until the end of the year, and most importantly, continue the good fight for the working men and women of this country so we can make life more affordable for them.

[Vince Gasparro, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I listened to the hon. member's remarks very closely. He knows I have a great deal of respect for him. However, to be quite frank, is this just a cheap political trick to try to score some points?

Our new government made an announcement. We are removing the excise tax from fuel, which is providing a great deal of relief for Canadians. We took the carbon tax off gasoline as well, reducing fuel prices by over 24¢ a litre. Is this not just a cheap political trick to try to save a failing Conservative Party?

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows I have a lot of respect for him as well. However, on this side of the House, we are very well aware that the Liberals just put together a costly majority, not at the ballot box, but with cheap backroom tricks to get politicians of this House to betray their own voters and constituents.

Of course, there is nothing cheap or political about putting money back into the pockets of the very hard-working men and women of this country, who would find nothing political and cheap about getting the government to remove the GST on gas and diesel, adding eight cents a litre of savings, permanently removing the fuel energy standard, saving another seven cents a litre, and removing the industrial carbon tax that is poised to go up to $170 per tonne, which is completely unacceptable.

It is common sense. If we add inputs, we drive up costs and make things more expensive. If we get rid of those inputs, things get cheaper. I do not understand why the Liberal government cannot understand this very simple fact.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister caved to Conservative pressure today and announced that he will make some cuts at the pumps. That could not have happened without the hard work on this side of the aisle, but it has fallen short.

Can my very good friend and colleague explain why voting tomorrow for this motion to save Canadians even more money is essential for the folks in his riding?

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge, as in many ridings all across this country, people are finding it more and more expensive to fill up their tanks at the gas station. Very simply, when we look at the things the Liberal government announces, as I said in my speech, its actions never match reality. It is very unfortunate that the government has decided to only take one portion of our plan to make life more affordable for Canadians.

The Prime Minister said he wants to collaborate and work together. If he wants his rhetoric to match reality, then he should adopt the rest of our plan, go the full way, remove the GST from gas and diesel, remove the fuel standard, remove the industrial carbon tax and let us work together to make life more affordable for Canadians.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for St. Catharines, who will speak after me. I am very pleased to take part in today's debate on an issue affecting all Canadians.

Our government is well aware of the pressures involved in Canada's rising cost of living, especially the rising cost of fuel, at a time of intense political tension worldwide. We recently saw the price of gas spike across the country, causing financial problems for a lot of Canadians. For many people, filling up at the gas station has become a nerve-racking experience. We understand the problem. That is why we have decided to introduce a practical measure to bring consumers some relief.

As everyone knows, a few hours ago, the Prime Minister announced that the government will suspend the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel from Monday, April 20, until Labour Day, September 7. The federal excise tax is currently 10¢ per litre for gasoline and four cents per litre for diesel. We estimate that the temporary suspension of the excise tax on gasoline and diesel for this period will save Canadian consumers up to $5.75 on a 50-litre tank of regular gas or $2.30 on a tank of diesel. This suspension will save Canadians over $2.3 billion in 2026.

Canada's new government is actively working to make life for affordable for all Canadians. For example, we introduced major tax cuts to reduce Canadians' tax burden. Since July 1, 2025, Canadians have been paying less tax because the government reduced the lowest individual income tax rate from 15% to 14%. This measure is helping some 22 million Canadians, with individuals paying up to $420 less in tax and two-income families saving up to $840 this year.

Our government also eliminated the GST for first-time new homebuyers for homes valued at $1 million or less and reduced the GST for first-time new homebuyers for homes valued between $1 million and $1.5 million. In addition, we are providing support to more than 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians to help them meet their daily needs through the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Specifically, we will provide a one-time top-up as soon as possible this spring, equivalent to a 50% increase in the annual value of the GST credit for 2025-26. This measure will provide immediate support of $3.1 billion to 12 million Canadians who currently receive the GST credit. Following this one-time payment made in the spring, eligible families and individuals in Canada will receive regular enhanced payments under the Canada groceries and essentials benefit starting in July 2026.

For information purposes, and for the benefit of those currently watching the House of Commons on television, people who receive the GST credit do not need to do anything. They will receive the grocery benefit. They do not need to take any action except file a tax return. By simply filing their tax return, they will receive all the benefits without having to do anything else. The benefit will increase by 25% over five years starting in July 2026, providing an additional $8.6 billion in support over the next five years. The benefit will be paid at the start of each quarter to allow families to access the funds quickly to help cover their daily expenses. Thanks to these measures, a family of four will receive up to $1,890 this year and approximately $1,400 per year over the next four years through the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit.

A single person, on the other hand, will receive up to $950 this year and approximately $700 per year for the next four years.

As soon as he took office, the Prime Minister abolished the federal consumer carbon pricing, effective April 1, 2025, which resulted in direct savings for Canadians at the pump. The government also eliminated the requirement for provinces and territories to impose a carbon price on consumers as of that date. These measures helped reduce the price of gasoline in most provinces and territories by approximately 18¢ per litre compared to 2024–25.

This measure has helped reduce inflation and lower the cost of living for all Canadians. In addition, our government has made permanent Canada's national school food program, which provides school meals to nearly 400,000 children each year, allowing participating families with two school-aged children to save approximately $800 a year on groceries.

We have also introduced automatic federal benefits for the 2026 tax year to ensure that up to 5.5 million low-income Canadians automatically receive the benefits they are entitled to by the 2028 tax year, including the Canada groceries and essentials benefit and the Canada child benefit. What is more, we have implemented ambitious pro-competition measures in the telecommunications and financial sectors to boost competition and lower prices, making it easier for Canadians to switch providers and pay lower bank and service fees.

In conclusion, at a time when disruptions in global supply chains and geopolitical tensions are driving up prices, our government is taking action. Our government's goal is to build a stronger economy to create more job opportunities and boost wages. At the same time, we are cutting costs to make life more affordable across the country. This is how we will be able to offer more Canadians greater certainty, security and prosperity, now and in the future. Furthermore, with the measure announced today by the Prime Minister, we will provide additional relief to Canadian consumers of gasoline and diesel. They will be able to save some of their hard-earned money and purchase other goods their families need.

Our government is building a stronger economy to make life more affordable for all Canadians. To that end, we are establishing new trade and investment partnerships abroad and enhancing our domestic strengths to create great career opportunities and higher wages for Canadians. As my colleagues surely know, I sit on the Standing Committee on International Trade. We are working very hard to secure additional trade agreements so that we are less vulnerable to the country south of the border. We are working very hard, and this will create good jobs here in Canada.

In addition, we are implementing a number of concrete measures to ensure that Canadians get the support they need right now. Our government has introduced a range of new cost-cutting measures, including a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, a plan to fast-track residential construction, and the production and expansion of critical social programs.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague painted a very rosy picture of all the measures we are putting in place to help Canadians in a volatile and complex context. We know that the price of fuel is very unpredictable because of all the supply chain disruptions in the Middle East.

How will the measure announced today regarding the excise tax help trucking companies, particularly those in the food and agriculture sectors, save money?

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that gasoline is not just for private individuals. It is also used throughout the supply chain. If we reduce the price of a litre of regular gasoline by 10¢ and the price of a litre of diesel by four cents, it will undoubtedly have an impact on grocery prices. This has already been mentioned. The entire logistics chain and the transportation of goods will be affected.

The current conflict in the Middle East was not started by us, but it has direct repercussions here in Canada, but not just in Canada. It has repercussions all over the world. The ongoing conflict has driven up the price of oil, and whether we like it or not, this is increasing the cost of supplies.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I listened to the Liberal government's announcement. They are talking about lowering the price of diesel. Diesel currently costs about $2.75 a litre. The government announced a four-cent-per-litre reduction.

In the trucking industry it can cost between $1,300 and $1,500 a day to run a truck on diesel. Will this four-cent reduction make a big difference? Could the government have been a little more generous?

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague, who got an A earlier for the way he presented his question. We must give credit where credit is due.

With respect to his question, which is a very serious one, we have decided to cut four cents off every litre of diesel. I am very interested in knowing what my colleagues think of our plan to temporarily suspend the excise tax on gasoline and diesel. Will they vote for it? Will they vote for our plan?

Also, can Conservative MPs confidently predict what will happen in six to 12 months? Members must also consider the fact that we have set a specific period, a window, from April 20 to September 7. We will see how the global geopolitical situation evolves. We are going to have our say, but we do not control everything that happens in the world even though we try to maintain ties and promote an inclusive policy and a sound understanding of democracy around the world.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to give taxpayers a bit of breathing room when they buy gas, but we know that this is a cyclical problem that will disappear and may come back. Would the long-term solution not be to provide more funding for the electrification of transportation?

We have seen a rather significant withdrawal on the part of the government in this respect. Does my colleague agree that, if we want to address this issue once and for all, the best thing to do is to accelerate the electrification of transportation?

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the subject of transportation electrification, Quebec's electric vehicle fleet is quite large. Quebec has the most electric vehicles on the road. The federal and provincial governments decided to invest in giving people a rebate when they buy an electric vehicle.

I understand my colleague's concern. This is a difficult situation. Most families are watching the price of everything go up, and they are wondering how to cope.

That is why we decided to reduce the cost of regular gasoline by 10¢ per litre and the cost of diesel by four cents per litre. This will start on April 20 and go until September 7. We will see how things go, but the Strait of Hormuz situation needs to end.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, across the world, conflict and instability, particularly in the Middle East and with disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, have put pressure on the global oil supply. Prices are rising. Canadians are feeling it. They are feeling it at the pump, on the grocery bill and in the cost of moving goods across the country. Let me be clear: Canadians are right to be concerned. However, in moments like this, Canadians expect seriousness. They expect leadership grounded in facts, not slogans. They expect a plan that deals with both the immediate pressures they are facing today and the structural challenges we must solve tomorrow. It is exactly what our government is delivering.

Let us start with the reality. Canada does not control the global price of oil. We do not control geopolitical conflicts. We do not control disruptions in international shipping lanes. We do not control the decisions of OPEC or other major producers. What we can control, and what we must control, is how we respond. Today, our response is clear: immediate relief for Canadians paired with long-term energy security.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister announced that our government will temporarily suspend the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel, from April to Labour Day. That means real savings for Canadians. It means up to 10¢ a litre off gasoline, money that stays in the pockets of Canadians. It means savings every time a parent fills up the car, every time a small business fuels a delivery truck and every time goods move across our country. This is targeted, and it is how we are responding responsibly for Canadians. It recognizes that the price spike Canadians are experiencing is driven by external global factors, not long-term domestic policy. It provides relief without undermining the fiscal stability Canadians depend on.

Now let us contrast that with what the Conservatives are proposing. Their motion calls for sweeping permanent changes based on assumptions about oil prices that they simply cannot guarantee. Their entire plan depends on one thing, that global oil prices remain high. We have already seen how quickly those prices can change. Following a ceasefire announcement, prices dropped sharply in a matter of days. The question is simple: Are we going to base national fiscal policy on speculation about global oil markets?

That is exactly what the Conservatives are doing. As outlined in the Conservative leader's letter to the Prime Minister, their plan assumes billions in revenue that may never materialize and would commit billions in permanent tax cuts that would leave a hole in our public finances. That is not a serious plan for a serious moment.

From a natural resources perspective, the debate is about something bigger than just taxes. It is about energy security. This global crisis has revealed a fundamental truth. Countries that control their energy future are more resilient. Countries that do not are exposed.

Canada is fortunate. We are one of the world's great energy nations. We have the fourth-largest proven oil reserves. We are a leading producer of natural gas. We are building major projects in LNG, nuclear, hydro and clean electricity. We are using that strength not just for ourselves but for our allies. Canadian energy exports are rising. The Trans Mountain expansion is moving record volumes. LNG exports are reaching global markets. Canada is playing a key role in stabilizing supply during a volatile period. That is what it means to be an energy superpower.

Being an energy superpower also means something else. It means building for the future. While we deal with today's price spike, we must also ensure that Canadians are not exposed again. That is why our government is investing in clean electricity, low-emissions LNG, nuclear energy and the infrastructure that connects our resources to global markets. We are building an energy system that is more resilient, more independent and more affordable over the long term.

Let us talk about what the Conservative motion would actually do. It is not just about the excise tax. It proposes eliminating the clean fuel regulations. It proposes scrapping the industrial carbon pricing. These are not minor changes. These are policies that are driving tens of billions of dollars in investment into Canada's energy sector, supporting projects like carbon capture, clean fuels and low-emissions production. Scrapping them would not make Canada stronger, and the Premier of Alberta has said as much.

It would make Canada less competitive. It would send a signal to investors that Canada is stepping back from the very policies that are helping us access global markets and create domestic demand for canola and other crops to support cleaner fuels. At a time when our allies are demanding cleaner, more responsible energy, that is a risk we cannot afford to take.

There is another consequence that the Conservatives have not addressed: The proposal would have real impacts on municipal infrastructure funding. Fuel tax revenues support communities across the country, helping to build roads, transit systems, water infrastructure and climate-resilient projects. These are not abstract concepts; they are projects Canadians rely on every single day. Undermining that funding without credible replacement would shift costs onto provinces, municipalities and our future taxpayers. What the Conservatives are saying is that they do not care how much property taxes increase for their constituents. They want to have a quick, cheap political win without thinking of the consequences back home. Again, that is not responsible.

Our approach is different. We recognize that Canadians need help today, and that is why we are acting to lower costs at the pump. We are doing it in a way that is targeted, temporary and responsible. We are pairing that with a broader plan to strengthen affordability, such as cutting taxes for the middle class, providing support for groceries and essentials, investing in housing, lowering child care costs and promoting stronger competition across key sectors. That is because affordability will not be solved by a single policy. It will be solved by a comprehensive plan.

At its core, this debate comes down to a simple choice: Do we respond to global volatility with serious targeted action or with permanent, unfunded promises? Do we build Canada's energy future or do we undermine the very policies that are attracting jobs and investment? Do we offer Canadians real relief today or build resilience tomorrow? Our government has made this choice. We are providing immediate relief to Canadians at the pump. We are building Canada into an energy superpower, and we are doing it in a way that strengthens our economy, supports our workers and ensures that Canadians have the certainty and security they deserve.

Canadians understand that we cannot control what happens abroad, but they also understand that we can control how we respond. Today, we are responding with leadership, with responsibility and with a clear plan to build a stronger Canada. For those reasons, I urge all members of this House to reject this motion and support a responsible path forward for Canadians.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in the member's speech, he talked about the importance of energy security and energy sovereignty. He was elected, I believe, when I was, in 2015. Almost literally the first thing that his party's cabinet did was to cancel the northern gateway pipeline, which was already conditionally approved. They chased all investors out of the energy east proposal. They chased out the private sector builder of the Trans Mountain pipeline so that it had to be nationalized and built at an extraordinary expense.

I put it to the member that his party's government has spent 10 years undermining Canada's energy sovereignty. Will he apologize for putting Canada in the position that we are in today?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting. The hon. member gets up to say that we are opposed to developing energy, yet he has been critical of building a pipeline, the Trans Mountain pipeline. I will be honest that at the time I was opposed to it, but Prime Minister Trudeau was right that it needed to get built, because we would be in a much worse position now if that pipeline had not been built. The Conservatives were critical, but at that time we got that pipeline built.

Conservatives spent years trying to get oil to tidewater. They were not successful. They tried to ram through projects and violated the rights of people. We are going to get things done, we are going to get things built, and we are going to do it the right way.

[Lori Idlout, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank my colleague for his excellent speech. He described really well what the Conservatives do not seem to understand, the meaning behind what would happen if, for example, the gas tax fund was permanently ended. What impact would that have on bodies like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which does rely on that fund?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. The Conservatives would starve municipalities of funding. We heard in the lead-up to the last election that they saw mayors and city councillors as the enemy. Their leader spent week after week condemning mayors and elected officials as the villains in this country on housing and infrastructure. This just shows that nothing has changed and that the Conservatives would starve them of the money they need for infrastructure.

My community in St. Catharines, and every member's community across the country, uses that fund to build roads and bridges, keep the property taxes lower in the community and build necessary infrastructure. The Conservatives would just do away with that and leave them to their own accord. They do not care about property taxes back in their own communities. This is clear, based on this back-of-the-napkin math that they are coming up with on this motion.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague who brought up the pipeline. As it was planned initially many years ago, the cost was substantially lower. I believe the cost at the time was $4.9 billion, when the private sector was going to get that pipeline to tidewater. I just want the member to answer a simple question. I can answer it for him if he wishes. It was supposed to be $4.9 billion. It ended up costing quite a bit more than that.

Does the member actually know what the final price tag was? It was closer to $30 billion or $40 billion.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I guess that is why they call it “questions and comments”. We can ask a rhetorical question and answer it ourselves before even putting it aside.

However, this shows that the Conservatives are against the thing that they are asking for. It boggles the mind that as a government they showed for years that they could not get anything done. Any project they pushed forward was stopped by the courts, stalled and denied. The projects would have violated indigenous rights and gone against premiers at every opportunity. We have heard recently from the Leader of the Opposition that he would do exactly the same thing. No lessons have been learned during their time in opposition. No lessons were learned when the Leader of the Opposition was in cabinet and he saw that all of these energy projects that they were going to ram down the throats of Canadians were denied and stalled. Nothing happened, and nothing has changed in all of this time.

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's announcement earlier today in providing gas tax relief to Canadians is a half-baked measure. The Liberals, in contrast to our Conservative plan, are offering a third of the relief for a third of the year. This is at a time when we have seen gas and diesel prices spike significantly around the country and around the world. There is a saying that we can only control what we can control. It is very true that in the situation in Iran, with the war that is going on there, there is not much that Canada can contribute to that directly or cause for that, but what we can control is the amount of taxes that Canadians are charged at the pumps. Right now, that is 25¢ a litre on gasoline and 21¢ a litre on diesel in federal taxes.

What the Liberals announced today is only one portion of relief from now until Labour Day. Our Conservative proposal, in contrast, is to provide real, meaningful relief at the pumps for Canadians, not only removing the federal fuel excise tax of 10¢ a litre. They have done that measure, but what they have not done is take off their latest, what I call, hidden carbon tax. They call it a clean fuel standard, but it is basically their new carbon tax of seven cents a litre in federal tax. They are keeping that in and, of course, the GST portion of that as well, which amounts to about eight cents a litre. We are getting a half-baked measure when it comes to this.

What Conservatives are calling for, when it comes to gasoline and diesel, is to give the full relief of 25¢ a litre off the price of gasoline and 21¢ a litre off the price of diesel for the remainder of the year, 2026. That can provide a family of four about $1,200 more that they can keep in their pocket this year. Every time they fill up, they would save $20 at the pump. That is real, meaningful relief.

There is a key part about this I want to raise. We can afford this because with the higher oil prices out there, the Liberals will be getting a windfall that is expected to be about $10 billion in extra revenue that was not anticipated because of these higher oil prices. If we completely cut the federal taxes on gasoline and diesel, it could be paid for simply by the extra revenues that are already going to be collected and Canadians paying higher prices as it is. Give Canadians real, meaningful relief at the pumps.

Many may know my family history. My father and mother owned a trucking business for many years. My dad just retired from that business a couple of years ago, JED Express, which we have been proud to operate in South Mountain, Ontario, for many years, a few decades. I am very proud that my dad worked his way up and built a business from scratch, all the way into one of Canada's best-managed companies for several years running. My dad is happily retired now, playing pickleball and golf. I want to acknowledge our background in trucking and our history in that industry, something I grew up with around me.

When we talk about being able to lower prices for Canadians on the cost of food and moving things around this country, our plan of taking 21¢ a litre, all the federal gas tax, off the price of diesel would make a tangible, more meaningful difference than what the Liberals are offering. The Liberals are offering to take four cents a litre off the price of diesel. That is going to be pennies to the billions that they will collect in extra revenues over the course of the next few months with higher oil prices.

In the trucking industry, very often the way rates are determined is on a base rate provided by a trucking company or an owner-operator plus a fuel surcharge, which is the actual price of fuel on those given days. As opposed to taking four cents a litre off, as the Liberals propose, and we take 21¢ a litre off, that would drop the fuel surcharge, drop the cost of trucking and drop the cost of transporting food and goods across this country immediately. It is a meaningful way to lower inflation. When we have serious food inflation, it is a meaningful way to do that. I am proud to take my experience from the trucking industry and say that our Conservative plan would do more to lower costs for Canadians, for food and for getting things moved around our country.

What we see from the Liberals all the time are half-baked measures. I will say this a different way and repeat the old line that I say in politics and in the work that I have done: Sometimes one needs to do a little R and D, rob and duplicate. We have actually seen the Liberal government do that, but to half-baked measures in extent.

We have seen it with the consumer carbon tax, which the Liberals eliminated only after years and years of relentless Conservative pressure to axe the tax. The Liberals knew they were in such a perilous political position that they had to scrap it. This was after years of defending the rebates, years of claiming that the taxes they put on did not amount to any extra cost to people, and saying that they could just add these taxes on at the pumps and that the cost of things would not go up, inflation would not go up, the cost of fuel would not go up and the cost of business would not go up.

Instead, what we are seeing now is a half-baked measure. The industrial carbon tax is in place, which just went up on April 1, and it is going to drive up the cost of doing business and drive up inflation in this country. Nobody believes that adding in taxes anywhere in the economy does not get passed on in the form of higher costs to consumers who purchase goods and services here at home.

It was a half-baked measure to get rid of the consumer carbon tax and keep the industrial carbon tax. Furthermore, it was a half-baked “rob and duplicate” effort, because the Liberals brought in the so-called clean fuel standard. Right now, on the price of gas, it is seven cents a litre. The Liberals are refusing to eliminate it, and it is only going to get worse. Not only are they keeping that in place over the course of the next few months and going into the future, but it is also going to be increased from the current seven cents a litre to 17¢ a litre by the year 2030.

That is something Canadians cannot afford, whether they are seniors, young people or parents driving their kids to hockey or soccer, just going out to get groceries or going back and forth to work. Heaven forbid that Canadians would want to take a family vacation. That seven cents a litre belongs in the pockets of Canadians rather than in the Liberal coffers this year.

We have talked about half-baked measures. Meaningful relief is what we are not seeing from the government, which is not taking a serious approach to providing relief. The contrast could not be more clear. The Liberals want to provide a third of the relief for a third of the year, compared to what our Conservative position is on this.

At the end of the day, it is important for Canadians to know that Conservatives are on their side, fighting for them and fighting for lower costs and lower gas bills in every part of this country. It is important to know that at the end of the day it is constant increases, the Liberal taxes on everything, that are making life more expensive in every part of this country.

The Liberals stubbornly refuse to go the full way and provide full, meaningful relief. They are offering only a 10¢ reduction on the price of gasoline, when there was an opportunity to have a 25¢ reduction, taking all the federal taxes off.

It is very frustrating to see that costs are going up over and over again. The cost of government is going up. The cost of Liberal deficits is going up. Inflation is going up. Our food inflation is the highest in the G7. We have the second-slowest growth in the G7. There was actually a drop in GDP in the fourth quarter of last year, and projections are not strong.

What Canadians are going to see is a continued effort by the Conservative team to fight for real and meaningful relief. Our opposition day motion is clear that the Liberal plan announced does not go far enough to provide meaningful relief to Canadians. The Liberals could take off the fuel excise tax of 10¢ a litre, which they have done, but they could go further. They could take the GST of eight cents off. They could take the clean fuel standards of seven cents off. They could provide 25¢ a litre in relief. On diesel prices, that total is 21¢ a litre. That could help families and businesses at a time when they truly need it.

We will keep standing up for affordability in this country and will let Canadians know that we are on their side.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are proud of the work that the Prime Minister has done to announce today the removal of the federal excise tax, as the member, I hope, acknowledged in his remarks.

I was sitting down today with farmers from Ontario, farmers in the corn industry and individuals who play in through ethanol markets to reduce emissions on fuel. It is also a really important element around farm gate revenue. Actually, farmers in eastern Ontario benefit from the clean fuel standard in terms of this actually reducing emissions and driving benefit into rural communities.

The member represents a rural Ontario riding. There are farmers in his riding who benefit from this policy. At the end of the day, it is actually a policy that reduces emissions and supports investment income in rural Canada. Why are the Conservatives against the policy, and why did they have absolutely nothing to say about farmers in this country in their April 2025 platform?