Finance committee  We are blessed with a strong social welfare system, which has been greatly strengthened by our Liberal team over the last eight years. I'm very proud of our improvements. In terms of the carbon tax, climate change is happening, which I want to remind some of our Conservative colleagues who might not understand that. Among economists, 99.5% have confirmed that a price on pollution is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce the emissions we don't want and spur the behaviour we're looking for.

Carbon Tax  The Climate Change Performance Index now ranks Canada 62nd out of 67 countries, further proof the carbon tax has done nothing to address climate change, because the carbon tax is not an environmental plan but a tax plan that is deepening the misery and despair of Canadians. When common-sense Conservatives form government and serve the people of Canada, we will restore Canadians' confidence and axe the tax.

Committees of the House  They are relying on a barge to go from the northeast around the corner to northwest Ontario. They are relying on aircraft, which, of course, with the carbon tax, the so-called clean fuel regulations, and the second carbon tax on top, are getting more and more expensive to operate as well. There is also the pilot shortage. I could go on and on with the issues the government has created, but they all add to the cost of living for northern communities.

Committees of the House  As I mentioned, I will be splitting my time with the member for Kenora, who has great insight into this subject as well and who wants to share his thoughts. One of the biggest factors of the increase in the cost of food is of course the carbon tax. We see the newly elected Premier of the Northwest Territories calling for relief from the carbon tax. We know that when farmers, truckers and grocery stores, etc., are forced to pay the cost, those costs are passed along to the consumer.

Carbon Pricing  One million Canadians will be relying on food banks this year alone and still the Prime Minister is hell-bent on hiking the carbon tax by 23% on April 1. Why will the Prime Minister not cancel his carbon tax increase and help make life more affordable for Canadians?

Committees of the House  Unfortunately, what we have seen, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, is that it does not have a plan for the environment. It has a carbon tax that is driving up the cost of living, while emissions are continuing to rise, and it is not even tracking the emissions that could be potentially prevented with this carbon tax. It is simply a tax plan, and people in the north recognize that and they see right through it.

Committees of the House  That inability to have local processing also contributes to the cost. Of course if people are trucking the animals, they also have to pay the carbon tax. Of course when they heat the barn, they pay the carbon tax. All of these layers add to the cost. I could go on, but hopefully I will get more questions on that.

Carbon Tax  A typical family of four will now pay $700 more in groceries in 2024 because of the Prime Minister's carbon tax. On April 1, he is increasing the carbon tax yet again, by 23%, as part of his plan to quadruple it, increasing the misery for Canadian families. Families in Saskatchewan cannot afford this increase, yet the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister will keep hiking this tax, regardless of how expensive groceries and fuel become.

Carbon Tax  Some are paying nearly double in carbon tax than the energy they use, but it does not seem to matter to these NDP-Liberals. If the radical environment minister had his way, all Alberta families would be forced to freeze inside or walk to work in -40°C on roads and bridges that would no longer exist.

Environment committee  There are three policies that are hammering rural Canada. The first one is increasing the carbon tax by 23% on April 1. By increasing the carbon tax, the commissioner's already said it...and there are various agencies all across government that have acknowledged that, disproportionately, rural Canadians are being impacted by the carbon tax.

Government Orders No. 35—Extension of Sitting Hours and Conduct of Extended Proceedings  Grocery prices have gone up so quickly and so dramatically because of the inflation and the carbon tax. What is the government's answer? It is to keep hiking it. We proposed to at least take the carbon tax off groceries and farmers, to remove the carbon tax off farm production so that we do not tax the farmer who grows the food and we do not tax the trucker who trucks the food or the retailer who sells the food.

Carbon Pricing  This is because of the collusion of the NDP and the Liberals on price fixing that is the carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister cancel his April 1, 23% carbon tax hike on food?

Carbon Pricing  Speaker, the Prime Minister is doing neither at the same time. I should catch what he said: “on the face of it”, the carbon tax is terrific. While the Parliamentary Budget Officer actually did the calculation of the full fiscal and economic cost for the average family, he found that every family in the middle class is worse off under the carbon tax.

International Trade committee  I guess I would start by saying that Canada will not, and has not, imposed a carbon tax through any trade agreement. We have included, in one instance, co-operation-based provisions with the words “carbon pricing”, but about climate change more generally, that commit parties to getting together and talking about climate change policy.

International Trade committee  Seeing the instability raised by such issues as riots for fuel subsidies, do you think it would be wise for the Canadian government to propose adding a carbon tax to a trade agreement with a country that has stability issues right now? If anything, Ecuador is looking to reach agreements to bring about stability. I'll go to Mr. Foster first.