Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the op-ed by Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré entitled “Opinion: Don’t buy the Conservative line on carbon tax, Serré says” that was published March 27.
This letter is in response to the opinion letter by Member of Parliament Marc Serré, in which he states his awareness of the difficult life faced by Canadians due to the rising cost of living, “particularly through higher grocery bills, rent and gas prices.”
Mr. Serré argues that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is misleading Canadians about the Liberal government’s carbon tax, which hit consumers again with an unprecedented increase on April 1.
Mr. Serré and other Liberal MPs, like Viviane Lapointe (Sudbury), have forgotten their true role in parliament. Serré and Lapointe have forsaken their duty to represent the people of their ridings in favour of supporting a leader who has lost control of a bloated government.
This Liberal government has proven it is incapable of managing this country. Here is a random compilation of some of the mismanaged affairs by this government:
- The Arrive Can App scandal $60,000,000
- The Foreign Interference scandal which influenced the last two federal elections by funding a network of Liberal candidates by the Chinese
- We Charity Scandal –$30,000,000 (which the We Charity were forced to repay after public awareness)
- SNC Lavalin Scandal – the Prime Minister’s team breached ethics rules including withholding knowledge of illegal political donations for three years leading to the resignation of two prominent MPs in the Liberal cabinet
- The Aga Khan Scandal – Justin Trudeau being the first Canadian PM to break federal ethics laws
- 2018 Cultural Appropriation - causing international embarrassment by Trudeau in India.
- The Blackface Scandal – this speaks for itself and should never be forgotten.
- The RCMP Investigation of Interference on the Nova Scotia attacks - gun control.
- Justin Trudeau’s $6,000 a night extravaganza at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth where the Canadian government spent more than $400,000 on hotel rooms.
- Sister-in-law Ethic Commissioner – Conflict of Interest with Dominic Leblanc.
- The Yaroslav Hunka Scandal – The Nazi veteran who was celebrated with a standing ovation and thanked in the Canadian parliament along with Ukraine President Zelenskiy.
- The Emergencies Act Scandal – gross overreach by this government proven to be unreasonable and outside the scope of the law.
So, after we look at the performance of this Liberal government, is it any wonder why people have lost faith in it?
This government is lacking any fiscal responsibility let alone the capability of administering a carbon tax. Canada now is suffering with a $40-billion deficit with an escalating national debt of $2.18 trillion. However, when looking to finance Canada's "downside scenario" between 2024 and 2026, it is possible the deficit could balloon to $10 billion more than Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's baseline projection.
The downside projections also caution that the unemployment rate could hit seven per cent if interest rates and weaker global activity lead to a shallow recession.
Further, the public debt charges are forecasted to rise from $46.5 billion in 2023-24 to $60.7 billion in 2028-29.
The bulk of the carbon tax funds collected will stay in general revenues and are not specifically directed to reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, becoming another potential source of funds left at the hands of government incompetence.
Marc Serré and Vivian Lapointe have shown a blatant disregard for the people of Nickel Belt and Sudbury. They have obliviously and silently stood by as their Liberal government agreed to remove the carbon tax on home heating oil in Atlantic Canada. As our representatives, they have also failed to step up for their own constituents faced with similar economic burdens for heating and travel.
So, yes, we are grateful to Pierre Poilievre for standing up for Canadians as he is listening and talking to us.
In closing, Pierre Poilievre has given Canada hope. It is so important to the wellbeing of Canadians that we have hope as we work everyday to support our families.
We may have lost hope with our current government and local MPs, but with Pierre Poilievre’s message, we can dream of real “sunny days” ahead, but not soon enough.
Michael Smith
Nickel Belt Conservative Association
Garson