Federal Liberals’ Gas Tax Stance Fuels Apathy

September 28, 2005

The House of Commons resumed sitting this week and, if recent polls and reports are to be believed, most Canadians don’t particularly care.

While I find this very alarming, based upon the federal Liberal government’s actions this week alone, I understand why many are turning away from our democratic process in frustration and disgust.

Consumers and businesses have been struggling financially throughout the past several weeks under the burden of soaring gas prices while the federal government rakes in an unexpected windfall in gas tax revenues.

Yet, not only are the Liberals steadfastly refusing to cut federal gas taxes, they avoided the issue in Parliament this week. It was the Conservative Party of Canada that appealed to the Speaker to hold an emergency debate on soaring fuel prices.

Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper has repeatedly demanded the government cut gas taxes, including the GST charged on those taxes. Yet Finance Minister Ralph Goodale maintains a few cents per litre won’t make any difference to Canadians!

Well, the federal Liberals rake in an additional $40-million in GST every time the price of gas goes up by one cent per litre. Since gas prices are about 30 cents higher than they were six months ago, the Liberals can expect to reap an additional billion dollars per year.

Prime Minister Martin misleadingly claims extra gas taxes will benefit Canadian municipalities. Yet the gas tax sharing deals with the provinces and municipalities have already been negotiated at a fixed amount and allocated. The extra gas taxes are dumped into general revenues for the Liberals to spend as they please.

Meanwhile, the Liberal agenda for the upcoming session of Parliament is very much on the ‘light and fluffy’ side. They’ve even pushed a few controversial items off the legislative agenda to “play it safe” and save the PM’s political hide.

No wonder voter apathy is on the rise in Canada. A recent poll by SES Research indicates that at least a quarter of potential Canadian voters have never been politically involved. Disheartening news upon the heels of the 60.9 percent voter turnout in the 2004 federal election.

As for those Canadians who have disengaged from our system of democracy, many say they’re tired of the lack of change. As someone still fighting some of the same battles that prompted me to enter politics 17 years ago, I understand these sentiments.

Yet, had I not joined with Preston Manning and other Reform Party of Canada members then, this country would still be facing the huge annual federal deficits that were putting our nation deeper and deeper into debt at that time. Now, most politicians have been forced to accept that Canadians expect the federal government to balance its books.

There have been other victories, but I know Conservatives still face a tough fight against over-taxation, big government, allowing violent criminals to go unpunished and porkbarrel patronage.

With your continued support, I’ll continue the struggle to prod the Liberal government into action on these, and many other issues of importance to you.

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