Discussion · Government Orders
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Québécois
“The government paused the fuel tax to save people 10 cents, but oil refineries just raised their prices by more than 10 cents. This wiped out any savings and still added to our deficit. I want to hear what my colleague thinks about this.”
“Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend my colleague on her speech, which she gave entirely in impeccable French. It is always very moving to hear that. I will come back to the Liberal government’s announcement to suspend the excise tax until September. That meant a savings of 10¢, but it was quickly offset by an increase of more than 10¢ in refinery margins. The way I see it, refineries saw an opportunity to fill a gap created by the government. This increase in refinery margins cancels out the price reduction, while still leaving us with a deficit. I would like to hear my colleague’s thoughts on that.”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend my colleague on her speech, which she gave entirely in impeccable French. It is always very moving to hear that. I will come back to the Liberal government’s announcement to suspend the excise tax until September. That meant a savings of 10¢, but it was quickly offset by an increase of more than 10¢ in refinery margins. The way I see it, refineries saw an opportunity to fill a gap created by the government. This increase in refinery margins cancels out the price reduction, while still leaving us with a deficit. I would like to hear my colleague’s thoughts on that.