TERRACE -- The carbon tax has been a very frequent topic of discussion among politicians, and two such politicians appeared in Terrace to make their feelings known on it. a press conference was held by B.C. MP Bob Zimmer and Skenna MLA Ellis Ross in front of Federal MP Taylor Bachrach's Terrace office in order to discuss the rather contentious issue of the carbon tax.
“The carbon tax is making everything more expensive, even as the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said out of control spending by the NDP, Liberal coalition has caused our economy to see punishing inflation. And from the parliamentary Budget Officer, taking into account consideration both fiscal and economic impacts, we estimate that most households will see a net loss paying more in federal fuel charge and GST as well as receiving lower incomes. And that's from the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirming that despite with Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh say that you're going to be better off, you're not going to be. “ – Bob Zimmer – Prince George – Peace River – Northern Rockies MP
Ellis Ross also had his own thoughts that he shared at the event as well.
“What I added was Kevin Falcon of B.C. United not only wants to get rid of the carbon tax, he wants to get rid of the 15 cent fuel tax that you have to pay at the pumps. And also it's a clean B.C. program. It's actually a big lie, it’s even more difficult than what we're seeing now in terms of affordability. Seven Premiers want to get rid of it. And by the way, when the Federal Conservatives Pierre Poilievre asked Premier Eby if he considered joining seven other Premiers to get rid of the tax. He said, Premier Eby said that's just coming from a bologna factory. Well, when I'm talking to people who can't afford groceries, can't afford to heat their home, they're not saying that's baloney. I mean, literally people are $200 away from making decisions about groceries or heating their home. This is not right. This is an affordability crisis. The NDP government here in B.C. have admitted that. And I think everybody wants to be all hands on deck. The only the only thing is the B.C. premier, the NDP Premier doesn't want to assist.” – Ellis Ross – Skeena MP
Taylor Bachrach had this to say in response to what the conservatives were claiming.
“There are a lot of people in northwest B.C. that are struggling with the cost of living right now. We've seen the cost of almost everything go up, the cost of rent, the cost of groceries. And people are facing some really difficult times now. The carbon tax is not the main driver. It's not even a very significant driver of that cost of living. What we need to look at is we need to look at the massive corporate profits that the big companies are making. We need to ensure that we have better rules and laws to prevent price gouging by companies like the big grocery chains. And we need to move faster. We need to see the federal government move faster on the kinds of policies that are going to make a real difference for Canadians, including folks here in the Northwest. Things like pharmacare and dental care. Those are programs that are going to save people hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per month.” Taylor Bachrach – Skeena Bulkley Valley MP
The carbon tax is set to increase by about 23% on April 1st