Discussion · Government Orders
Luc Thériault Bloc Québécois
“The Conservatives want to help the oil industry instead of regular people. Experts say cutting gas taxes does not help. The government should collect that tax money and give it directly to parts of the economy that need it most, like the supply chain. I want to know if gas price cuts ever actually help taxpayers.”
“Madam Speaker, I have been a member of the House of Commons for some time now, and I have to say that, at times, I get the impression that my Conservative colleagues are lobbying for the oil industry. At the same time, they frequently condemn waste. Like me, they also stand up for people who are struggling. However, they never denounce the humongous subsidies to the oil industry, which rakes in eye-watering profits every year. They would like us to throw even more money at this industry, even though 66% of the oil companies in western Canada are American and we are in a tariff dispute. The Bloc Québécois proposed something at one point. Every tax expert and finance minister I have spoken to in my life told me that the best thing to do was not to lower the price at the pump. The best thing for the government to do in the event of an increase or inflation was to hold on to that money and redistribute it in a targeted way to the sectors that actually need that oil and diesel to be able to continue production in the supply chain, for example. Why does my colleague not support this type of measure when we know full well that there has been a drop in the price at the pump recently? Can he tell me whether this trickled down to taxpayers?”
Madam Speaker, I have been a member of the House of Commons for some time now, and I have to say that, at times, I get the impression that my Conservative colleagues are lobbying for the oil industry. At the same time, they frequently condemn waste. Like me, they also stand up for people who are struggling. However, they never denounce the humongous subsidies to the oil industry, which rakes in eye-watering profits every year. They would like us to throw even more money at this industry, even though 66% of the oil companies in western Canada are American and we are in a tariff dispute. The Bloc Québécois proposed something at one point. Every tax expert and finance minister I have spoken to in my life told me that the best thing to do was not to lower the price at the pump. The best thing for the government to do in the event of an increase or inflation was to hold on to that money and redistribute it in a targeted way to the sectors that actually need that oil and diesel to be able to continue production in the supply chain, for example. Why does my colleague not support this type of measure when we know full well that there has been a drop in the price at the pump recently? Can he tell me whether this trickled down to taxpayers?