Gary Vidal Official Portrait / Portrait Officiel Ottawa, ONTARIO, Canada on 24 February, 2020. (© HOC-CDC Credit: Bernard Thibodeau, House of Commons Photo Services)

By Nicole Reis

CARBON TAX

Local MP’s calling on feds to scrap carbon tax in response to concerns of food security

Apr 1, 2020 | 1:59 PM

Local MP’s are calling on Ottawa to scrap its carbon tax in response to growing concerns of food security.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will move forward with its plan to increase the carbon tax to $30 per tonne of carbon dioxide from $20 on April 1.

Gary Vidal, Member of Parliament for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, told meadowlakeNOW he among other Saskatchewan MP’s are addressing Finance Minister, Bill Morneau for a full exemption of the carbon tax for the farming community and an immediate cancellation of the increase.

“Food security is at the top of everybody’s mind under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and a lot of urban Canadians are gaining a whole new appreciation of our farmers and what they do for us,” Vidal said. “The upcoming crop may be one of the most important in Canadian history and we’re calling on these measures to ensure farmers have the best chance to continue to provide food security for Canadians.”

In the letter, Saskatchewan Conservative Team stresses the importance of protecting the national food supply and to ensure farmers are being supported.

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“Individuals are struggling,” the letter reads. “At a time when more than 1.5 million Canadians are out of work and seeking employment insurance, the last thing they need to worry about is an increase in their cost of living that is being felt by farmers, workers from all sectors, and their families.”

Vidal said some studies and projections performed by farm groups said the increase affects approximately 6-12 per cent of farmers’ bottom line.

“Our hope would be that the [federal government] would recognize the impact this is having on our agricultural producers and, maybe reconsider the position and give our agriculture sector a break,” he said.

The letter also addresses small and medium sized businesses who are facing challenges and supports efforts by the government to assist businesses through the new wage subsidy measures, although expresses concern of the increase in the carbon tax will lessen the impact of these measures.

“It’s something that is very damaging to the industry and we’ll continue to ask them to rethink their position on this,” Vidal said. “If you’re a farm producer and look at the numbers they’re facing in their operations, it’s obvious the rebate farmers may get on their tax return is nowhere near what is spent in operations.”

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicole