Speech From The Throne  For more than three years federal politicians, including some members of the present government, have been musing about the imposition of a carbon tax, a tax on fossil fuels which would be cleverly disguised as an environmental levy. An independent study commissioned by the government last year indicated that a carbon tax high enough to effectively inhibit the use of fossil fuels would adversely affect almost every measure of economic activity, including the gross domestic product, the level of industrial investment, consumer price index and the unemployment rate.

Department Of Natural Resources Act  It should move rapidly from a budget on which the emphasis is on non-renewable to renewable sources of energy and should move more rapidly to the implementation of policies that reinforce and accelerate the movement toward more efficient use of energy. I am not talking of a carbon tax, although we all know that one day the concept of a carbon tax will have to be tackled if we are serious about the question of climate change. However, the political moment has not yet arrived.

Carbon Tax  Will the government put an end to the speculation and just answer the question? Is the government considering a carbon tax. Yes or no.

Carbon Tax  Speaker, I do not know which part of the word "no" he does not understand. We have never mentioned a carbon tax. Read the red book. Is it found in the red book? No, it is not in the red book. It is not a part of our policy, period.

Supply  Therefore I am very concerned about the informal discussion there has been about green tax and about carbon tax. If we use taxation to alter behaviour then we kill our ability to be internationally competitive. If we want to change behaviour I suggest we may choose to institute penalties. We may choose to institute levies.

The Budget  Before I discuss specific budget announcements affecting these industrial sectors I would like to address two key concerns identified by Albertans in discussions leading up to this budget. First, the federal government's acting unilaterally to impose a carbon tax was of great concern to some Albertans prior to the budget speech. The Minister of Finance did not impose a carbon tax. In addition, the Minister of Finance did not reduce tax rebates for privately owned utilities.

Supply  That is going to hit everybody, not just the rich we so often hear about. What about a carbon tax? Give it any name you like, I do not think it is dead yet. If any kind of unity is to be promoted in this country it had better be put to rest once and for all. What are the solutions?

Taxation  I am not quite sure what further debate the Reform Party would like to see. We have listened to the members ad nauseam putting up strawmen like carbon taxes and everything else. One day the leader of the Reform Party talked about what it cost per minute to listen to this House. We have blown a billion dollars listening to the Reform Party.

Committees Of The House  The government said: "We can do that for all Canadians and it will not hurt them". One of my colleagues said it was a kind of carbon tax. We cannot really say it is that because it does not focus completely on Alberta. It affects all people right across Canada. Last week I was listening to an Ottawa radio program. They were discussing the cost of fuel in Ottawa versus Toronto.

Department Of Natural Resources Act  The infamous national energy program of a previous Liberal administration is an example of Liberal gouging that still haunts the energy industry. The industry will not stand for another form of carbon tax no matter how the government chooses to disguise it. Instead of presenting these reorganization bills such as Bill C-48, why does the government not assure us that there will be no raping of the energy industry via taxation or via regulation?

Global Climate Change  To proceed with an energy plan based on flimsy and rather badly scientifically studied evidence I would say is irresponsible, and I wonder if the long term motive behind all of this might be to excuse the installation of the carbon tax. We have discussed that several times in the House. But suppose global warming is a real threat? What are the reasonable alternatives? The motion speaks of alternative energy sources, but in my experience alternative energy, as most people describe it, could more properly be described as "supplementary energy".

Supply  In the finance department again we are looking for transparency. There is an absolute refusal to make a commitment on the question of a carbon tax or taxation of RRSPs. Justice department is an interesting case where there is the opposite of transparency. There is excruciating transparency when dealing with such things as the proposed firearms legislation.

Court Challenges Program  Yet this same level of government is contemplating raising personal taxes, implementing a carbon tax, taxing RRSP contributions and doing little to fight the debt or deficit. Our national debt is rising by $1,743 every second and is now $538,860,511,635.87.

Taxation  Yet through her rather uncharacteristic silence she has implied that even higher gasoline and carbon taxes are possible; she has implied that. My question is for the Minister of the Environment. So that it is very clear to Canadians, will the Minister of the Environment demonstrate her commitment to improving the productivity, as was stated in the paper yesterday, of Canadian business by rejecting any kind of proposed tax grab in the carbon industry?

Department Of Natural Resources Act  Madam Speaker, in spite of the fact that this government continues to tell us that a carbon tax or a green tax is not a consideration, it continues to come up in the news almost daily. Therefore, it continues to be of concern to us who come from those resource producing regions.