“The government makes Canadians pay 16 cents a litre more for fuel. Most of the biofuel needed to meet this rule comes from the United States. Why is the government forcing Canadians to pay to buy American biofuels?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister’s 16¢-a-litre fuel standard tax is bad enough, but what is even worse is where the money goes. To quote energy expert Heather Exner-Pirot, “To meet their carbon intensity targets, many Canadian refiners blend biofuels into their petroleum products. But Canada is not self-sufficient in their production. More than half of Canada’s biofuels are imported, predominantly from the United States.” The Government of Canada forces the people of Canada to pay 16¢ a litre more to buy American biofuels. Why?”

“The government did not answer my question about the 16-cent tax on each litre of fuel. Canadians cannot afford food or gas. Why is the Prime Minister making them pay this tax to buy American biofuels?”

“Mr. Speaker, not only did the Prime Minister not answer the question, but the finance minister did not even seem to hear it. The question was about the 16¢-a-litre diesel and gasoline tax charged at the pump. Now, it is bad enough to tax the Canadian people. It is even worse to force them to pay that money to the United States of America to buy U.S. biofuels. While Canadians cannot afford groceries, while they must empty their bank to fill up their tank, why is the Prime Minister forcing them to pay a 16¢-a-litre tax at the pump to Trump?”

“This 16-cent tax makes gas and food more expensive for Canadians. Most of the biofuel money goes to large American companies, not Canadian farmers. I want to know why the Prime Minister is giving our money to Americans.”

“No, Mr. Speaker, the minister wants to build America strong, because the cost of the majority of the biofuels that the government is forcing refiners to purchase with this 16¢-a-litre tax is not going to Canadian farmers. It is going to megacorporations south of the border. On this day when the Bank of Canada governor says that food prices are rising because of higher diesel costs, the Prime Minister is imposing a tax on Canadians at the pump and on truckers who deliver us our food. Why is he putting that money in the pockets of the Americans?”

“The government's 16-cent-a-litre tax sends Canadian money to big American companies for expensive fuel. This makes gas and food too expensive for Canadian families.”

“Mr. Speaker, at Trump Tower, they will be popping the champagne today, knowing that this government is defending a 16¢-a-litre tax that sends Canadian money south of the border to subsidize large U.S. corporations selling us overpriced biofuel. That single mother who is turning back items at the grocery store, because it costs too much for the trucker to deliver those items, or the family who cannot quite fill up the minivan can take comfort in knowing that the Prime Minister has a “make America great again” tax at the pump.”