Taxation

Question period on affordability and taxation, connected to the government’s Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act, which among other things sets the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel to zero for part of 2026. The Conservative leader said gas prices are higher than a decade ago even when crude oil cost the same, attributing this to federal taxes and the weak dollar rather than world events, and asked the government to cancel fuel taxes for the year; he also raised taxes on work, gas, beer and a reported coming change on streaming services. The Liberal minister cited a global energy crisis, said the government suspended the federal fuel tax to cut gas prices by about 10 cents, and pointed to housing, food and fuel measures in the bill, calling on the Conservatives to vote for it; he also said the Conservatives have voted against past affordability measures. The exchange consisted of these repeated points from each side.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text (opens in a new tab)

6 statements

Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Opposition

Conservative
“Gas costs more today than it did ten years ago, even though crude oil was the same price then. I blame Liberal taxes and a weak Canadian dollar for high gas prices, not global problems. I want the government to admit this.”
  • A repeated line

    “The price of a barrel of oil was $100, but the price at the pump was only $1.34 a litre.”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since May 5.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals like to blame global factors for the price at the pump, but that is an illusion. Over 10 years ago, during the Harper years, there were two wars going on in the Middle East, as well as a war in Ukraine. The price of a barrel of oil was also $100 back then, but the price at the pump was $1.35. That is almost 50¢ less than today. The difference lies in the Liberals’ taxes and the weakness of the Canadian dollar under the Liberal Prime Minister. Will the Liberals stop blaming global factors and accept that these are Liberal factors?

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue

Liberal
“We know high prices for housing, food, and gas are hard on Canadians. We cut the federal gas tax to lower the price of gas by 10 cents.”
  • A repeated line

    “We have suspended the excise tax on fuel.”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since May 6.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Leader of the Opposition understands that we are currently facing a global energy crisis. We know that Canadians’ top priority is affordability, meaning the cost of housing, food and gas. The good news is that this is exactly what we have taken action on. We have suspended the federal excise tax on fuel, lowering the cost of gas for Canadians by 10¢. We on this side are very aware that affordability is the number one issue for Canadians. That is why, together with all my colleagues, we will always be there to help Canadians.

Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Opposition

Conservative
“The Liberals cannot blame other countries for high housing and gas prices. Gas was 50 cents cheaper when oil prices were higher in 2014. I want the government to cancel fuel taxes for the whole year so people can afford gas.”
  • A repeated line

    “The price at the pump was $1.38 per litre.”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since May 4.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are selling another illusion by trying to blame the war in Iran for the cost of housing. The homes are here, the land is here, the workers are here and the supplies are here. It is here at home that the costs have gone up. Let us talk about the energy crisis. There was one in 2014, during the Harper years. The global price of oil was even higher than it is today. However, the price at the pump was 50¢ per litre lower. Will the Liberals finally get rid of the Liberal taxes for the entire year so that Canadians can fill up their tanks?

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue

Liberal
“We paused the federal fuel tax to help Canadians with high energy costs this summer. I want the Conservatives to vote for this bill to make that happen.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the executive director of the International Energy Agency has said that we are currently facing the largest energy crisis in history. That is why we took action. We did not wait. In other words, we suspended the federal fuel tax. That is because we are acutely aware that we need to give Canadians a helping hand as the summer season approaches. We will always be there to stand up for the interests of Canadians, and I invite my Conservative colleagues to vote in favour of Bill C-30, which will give Canadians a helping hand this summer.

Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Opposition

Conservative
“Canadians pay too much tax on work, gas, and beer. Now the government wants to triple taxes on streaming services like Netflix. The government should stop this streaming tax so Canadians can afford it.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years of this Liberal government and this Liberal minister, Canadians have spent more on taxes than on food, clothing and shelter combined. They are taxed when they work. They are taxed to fill up their car to drive to and from work. When they get home and they want to have a beer to take the edge off all the tax, will they pay higher Liberal taxes on that too? We found out late last week that if they turn on Netflix and stream their favourite program, the Liberal government wants to triple the Netflix tax to charge them even more for that. Canadians are already taxed to death. Why will they not follow our lead and get rid of the Netflix tax so that Canadians can stream affordably?

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue

Liberal

Linked statement

“I want the Conservatives to vote for this bill. We are helping people with the cost of living by building cheaper homes, working to lower food prices, and pausing the fuel tax on gas. The Conservatives keep voting against this help.”
  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 33 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

    See full analysis
  • A repeated line

    “We will take no lessons from the Conservatives.”

    Said 9 times by 4 members since April 23.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. Members can take my word on that. At every step of the way, when we put measures around affordability, they voted against them. They should be ashamed. At a time when Canadians are asking us to act on the cost of living, that is exactly what we have done. We are building more affordable houses, we have taken measures on affordability for food prices, and we have suspended the excise fuel tax on gas. On this side of the House, we know when to act for Canadians. We will continue to support Canadians, and I invite my colleagues on the other side to vote for Bill C-30.

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