Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has chosen not to disclose the letters he said he received from Canadians who expressed gratitude for the carbon tax.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Guilbeault stated that he had received thank-you notes from a woman named Jill in Regina and from "Bob, a teacher."Conservative MP Dan Mazier (Dauphin-Swan River, MB), who had criticized the carbon tax and prompted the minister's claim, raised doubts about the correspondence.“I don’t recall ever receiving a piece of carbon tax fan mail from a Canadian,” said Mazier.“It’s interesting to see Minister Guilbeault only found two people in all of Canada who sent him fan mail on his costly carbon tax. I’d be curious to hear how many thousands of letters he receives from Canadians who oppose his costly carbon tax.”The minister's office did not respond to a request for copies of the correspondence with necessary Privacy Act redactions.Mazier on Thursday told the House that “Canadians cannot afford to drive their cars or heat their homes.” Guilbeault responded by saying he had received letters from Canadians who appreciated the carbon tax, including one from a woman named Jill.“Jill lives in the riding of the member for Regina-Qu’Appelle,” said Guilbeault. “She does not want the carbon pricing rebate to go away. Why would the Conservative Party of Canada cut this program from Jill?”“Bob, a teacher, also wrote to us,” said Guilbeault. “Bob told us that he is making more money with the carbon pricing rebate than if there were no rebate. Bob is asking us and the Conservative Party to keep the carbon pricing rebate.”Speaker Greg Fergus briefly suspended the session because MPs burst into laughter and jeered over Guilbeault’s comments.“Order,” said Speaker Fergus. “I am certain we all love to get letters.”The federal government has said Canadians get more carbon tax rebates than they pay in higher fuel charges, a claim disputed by legislators for years.“How is that possible?” then-Senator André Pratte (QC) asked at a 2016 Senate National Finance committee hearing. “I don’t understand,” said then-Senator Nicole Eaton (ON).In a 2021 TV Ontario interview, then-Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson admitted that the carbon tax led to higher costs for fuel.“Politicians have an obligation to the public to tell them the straight goods,” said Wilkinson. “And if they have a disagreement, that’s fine, but let’s be serious and let’s be real about the facts.”In a March 24, 2022, report A Distributional Analysis of Federal Carbon Pricing from the Parliamentary Budget Office said many Canadian households ended up worse off due to the carbon tax program.“Most households will see a net loss,” said the report. The carbon tax carried a “negative economic impact” for a majority of Canadians, it said.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has chosen not to disclose the letters he said he received from Canadians who expressed gratitude for the carbon tax.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Guilbeault stated that he had received thank-you notes from a woman named Jill in Regina and from "Bob, a teacher."Conservative MP Dan Mazier (Dauphin-Swan River, MB), who had criticized the carbon tax and prompted the minister's claim, raised doubts about the correspondence.“I don’t recall ever receiving a piece of carbon tax fan mail from a Canadian,” said Mazier.“It’s interesting to see Minister Guilbeault only found two people in all of Canada who sent him fan mail on his costly carbon tax. I’d be curious to hear how many thousands of letters he receives from Canadians who oppose his costly carbon tax.”The minister's office did not respond to a request for copies of the correspondence with necessary Privacy Act redactions.Mazier on Thursday told the House that “Canadians cannot afford to drive their cars or heat their homes.” Guilbeault responded by saying he had received letters from Canadians who appreciated the carbon tax, including one from a woman named Jill.“Jill lives in the riding of the member for Regina-Qu’Appelle,” said Guilbeault. “She does not want the carbon pricing rebate to go away. Why would the Conservative Party of Canada cut this program from Jill?”“Bob, a teacher, also wrote to us,” said Guilbeault. “Bob told us that he is making more money with the carbon pricing rebate than if there were no rebate. Bob is asking us and the Conservative Party to keep the carbon pricing rebate.”Speaker Greg Fergus briefly suspended the session because MPs burst into laughter and jeered over Guilbeault’s comments.“Order,” said Speaker Fergus. “I am certain we all love to get letters.”The federal government has said Canadians get more carbon tax rebates than they pay in higher fuel charges, a claim disputed by legislators for years.“How is that possible?” then-Senator André Pratte (QC) asked at a 2016 Senate National Finance committee hearing. “I don’t understand,” said then-Senator Nicole Eaton (ON).In a 2021 TV Ontario interview, then-Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson admitted that the carbon tax led to higher costs for fuel.“Politicians have an obligation to the public to tell them the straight goods,” said Wilkinson. “And if they have a disagreement, that’s fine, but let’s be serious and let’s be real about the facts.”In a March 24, 2022, report A Distributional Analysis of Federal Carbon Pricing from the Parliamentary Budget Office said many Canadian households ended up worse off due to the carbon tax program.“Most households will see a net loss,” said the report. The carbon tax carried a “negative economic impact” for a majority of Canadians, it said.
