Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Ontario for sharing his time with me. I sincerely appreciate it, and I know that the constituents of Brandon—Souris will as well. It is always an honour to rise on behalf of the constituents in Brandon—Souris, the wheat city in western Manitoba.
The important motion before us today is simple, but if implemented fully and properly, it would serve as a very effective way to combat an issue that affects so many Canadians. Gas prices in Manitoba are some of the highest we have seen in years. It is all I heard about at the doors and at community halls these past few weeks through Easter.
In a country as large as Canada, driving is often a necessity and not a choice, especially in the rural regions I represent. It is no secret that for years Canadians have struggled with an affordability crisis caused by the Liberal government. Unfortunately, after 11 years of Liberals, we see that their costly deficits and out-of-control spending continue to grow. Liberals are happy to spend the hard-earned paycheques of Canadian taxpayers in the name of bureaucratic red tape, consultants, giant trains that do not touch the prairie provinces, and failed projects that achieve nothing for the people of my region.
After a decade of these Liberal taxes, constituents in western Manitoba are looking for some much-needed relief. It is hard to believe, but despite already paying some of the highest prices in the G7 for the food they eat, which many of my constituents grow, and despite paying some of the highest fuel prices they have seen in years, Canadians are seeing prices rising even higher. Earlier this month, the ongoing war in Iran forced Canadians to watch the price of gas skyrocket.
Canadians would be forgiven for thinking that these out-of-control prices are hitting our neighbours just the same, as the Liberals often say it is a global crisis. However, that is not the reality. In fact on April 1, Americans were paying 20% less for a litre of gas than we were here in Canada. How does the Liberal government explain that when challenges arise, Canadians seem to be the worst off in the G7? The answer is simple: The Liberals cannot, but Conservatives can.
Today, four Liberal taxes on Canadian fuel are responsible for the massive gap between Canada's prices and our closest allies' prices. Regardless of an announcement this morning, the Liberal government currently imposes, first, its fuel excise tax, which costs Canadians 10¢ on every litre of gas they buy. Second is the carbon tax, which the government has simply renamed its fuel standard and which adds another seven cents a litre. Third is the goods and services tax, GST, that applies to gas and diesel, which adds eight more cents to each litre of fuel. Finally, number four, is the industrial carbon tax, which will rise to $170 per tonne, with projections showing a loss of 50,000 jobs and our economy shrinking by 1.3% as a result.
Combined, these four taxes add 25¢ on each litre of gasoline and 21¢ on each litre of diesel fuel that Canadians buy. Each of these taxes adds up quickly at the gas station, but with higher prices already in existence before these price shocks have come into effect, Canadians feel even more pressure. All that is in addition to the Liberals' destructive record with Canada's oil and gas sector, the Manitoba component of which I am proud to represent.
The Liberals talk about resilience to world factors in global pricing. If they had allowed pipelines to be built and if we had been refining more of our oil in this country 10 years ago, Canada would have been more resilient to a global conflict that affects the world's price of oil and gas. Unfortunately, they were too short-sighted and stood in the way of those major nation-building infrastructure projects that were under way under the Conservatives, and now Canadians are literally paying the price for it.
The Prime Minister claims the Liberals will temporarily pause the fuel excise tax for just a few months, but we have not seen any action yet. If real progress had been made in expanding domestic capacity over the last 11 years, Canadians would have been far better shielded from the fuel prices we now face, but unfortunately the Liberals failed to heed calls from the Conservatives, and now we are where we are.
These are all facts that the Liberals have refused to admit are costing Canadians their livelihoods. As Canadians struggle with affordability, the Liberals are actually profiting from higher prices of oil, according to many former Liberal economic advisers. That is right. Canadians may be shocked to learn that every $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil translates into roughly $2 billion in increased revenue for the federal government. Let us do the math. Oil prices have risen by $45 to $50 in the last few weeks, and if prices stay at their current levels, the Liberal government could collect an extra $9 billion to $10 billion this year. Meanwhile, the revenue from the taxes I mentioned earlier will bring in $5 billion in federal revenue. These are dollars taken directly from the pockets of Canadians, who are forced to pay these high prices at the pumps.
Farmers in Manitoba are just about to head to the fields for 2026 planting. When families have already squeezed their budgets for groceries, it is unconscionable that the Liberals are going to take more money from Canadians' pockets and funnel it into pet projects that benefit Liberal insiders and elites. That money should be left in Canadians' pockets so that they can continue to put gas in the tank and food on the table. Over the last two weeks, Conservatives have presented a plan to do that.
When families struggle, Conservatives stand up for Canadians. As His Majesty's loyal opposition, Conservatives have put forward legislation in this motion that would benefit the Canadians whose hardships have been for too long ignored by the Liberals, and that is why I am proud to support this Conservative motion today. It would remove the fuel excise tax and the GST on gasoline and diesel until the end of 2026, not just until September, as the Liberals have suggested, and our motion goes further, calling for the removal of the fuel standard and the industrial carbon tax permanently.
This is not radical policy. Around the world, allied countries have already beaten Canada to the punch. Australia, Austria, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy, each of these countries has taken the initiative to cut fuel prices or give relief at the gas pumps. Their leaders understand the challenges that their people face and have responded in the only way that provides real relief at the pump. Meanwhile, Canada's Prime Minister claimed the Liberals are still just “looking” into it. Then, just this morning, he paused a single one of those taxes for a few months.
This does not prove that the Liberals are doing the right thing for Canadians; it proves that they are stumbling behind our allies. Real leadership means taking concrete action before it is too late. Yes, the Liberals do have a history of poaching our policies, which they have clearly attempted to do today, but unfortunately removing just one of the federal taxes we put forward in this motion will not achieve the results that Canadians desperately need.
Most of the hard-working people of my riding cannot hop on a train or a bus. They cannot leave the car in the driveway and walk or bike to work or wherever they need to go. That is the reality for most of the people I represent. Regardless of why they need to drive, Canadians who do drive should not be punished by their government for doing so.
Our party, knowing that our cause is just and the solution is true, puts this motion forward in good faith today, urging the Liberals to fully accept our ideas on their merits, asking them to review it quickly and praying that they will implement it wholly and swiftly. Canadians are counting on it.